Rules of the Game
by daeneverfinishes
Summary: There are rules to everything in life. After all, playing basketball without gravity would be like playing half a game. The day the Cullens and the Potters met was the day that the rules changed. See profile for Author notes, etc. Abandoned.
1. Beginnings: Part I

**Beginnings: Part 1**

**A Felix Sort of Meeting**

James Potter was used to taking risks. Making friends with a werewolf, becoming an Animagi, becoming an Auror and marrying Lily Evans (now Potter) were some of the biggest.

That said – he didn't know what to think when his wife announced quite unexpectedly that they should go shopping at the breakfast table. Not just ordinary shopping either.

"Lils, I don't think Muggle London is exactly the best place for clothes, especially now when You-Know-Who is out and about. It's why we're here – in Godric's Hollow – hiding." James muttered with a frown. But no, his wife wasn't listening. Instead she was dressing little Harry up and strapping him into a baby carry cot.

"I know James." Lily said as she finished her duty smiling at the babe tucked in with blankets. Already the child had the wild black hair signature to his father's family line. The most important part of him was his bright green eyes reflective of his mother. "You're such an adorable baby munchkin!"

James sighed, lips pressed together even as he leaned against the doorway of the nursery. His arms crossed and his flashing brown eyes in disapproval. "Lily…"

His wife rounded on him. "I just have a really good feeling about shopping today. Trust me. After all… it is your last day off before you go back to work and there's only so much we do together in that way." Here she blushed much to James' slight twitch of his mouth.

"Besides, we can't just stay cooped up in here. Ever since you sent us into hiding and all the things with Dumbledore – not once have we ever had fun." Lily continued, her voice reaching higher octaves as she went.

"Lily we do have fun! Sirius, Peter and Remus too – before – well before…Lily! It's dangerous! You and I know this. It's not like you to be reckless!" James exclaimed, causing young Harry to start crying.

Automatically he felt guilty watching as his wife calmed their child down. It was getting hard on them to live this way. This war felt like it would never end. Not with a mad-wizard going about destroying people for pureblood supremacy. The funny bit was the Wizard wasn't altogether pure. Lily had once mentioned that You-Know-Who's rise to power was like that muggle lunatic…Hitzer? Was it Hinkler? Hitler? It didn't really matter – except that people were dying. It was best to just stay put.

"Good he's sleeping for now, James." Lily stood up to her full 5'5" against her husband's 5'11". Her mouth was set in a firm line. "We can't stay here and for once, please. This isn't even really about the clothes. It's more of us just getting away from this atmosphere. It's just us, as a family, being together that we haven't been able to do. Darling, it's a risk I know…but life. It's meant to be lived. Don't you think?"

The hopelessness in her eyes got to him. He didn't relax for a few seconds even when his wife gently uncrossed his arms and pulled her body closer to his. He wasn't too sure what to think. Muggle London was a big risk. James Potter though – like all men when faced with the seductive wiles of their wives melted when Lily kissed him passionately. They stayed this way for about a minute for a minute at most when she gently pushed him away.

"Lils, I don't know what's gotten into you but I think I like it." James breathed.

Lily smiled at him charmingly despite him still wearing the clothes he wore to bed. "Good, I'll like it better if you change as well."

James huffed after giving his wife a quick peck on the lips. He really didn't know what had gotten into her. This attitude of hers just wasn't typical Lily. As he exited the room, he didn't see the glint in his wife's eyes. Yes indeed – something more unusual was going on.

*

Alice Cullen was not accustomed to waiting. In fact, she loathed it and only tolerated doing so when she had to.

"Darling, you're making me nervous." Her husband, Jasper stated looking at her with a strained smile.

Alice pecked his lips and squeezed his hand. They had taken to walking the streets of London – not necessarily shopping but looking for someone. It was a bit more difficult for either of them since they were in such a crowded place like Harrods. Everywhere around the pair were tantalizing scents.

"Sorry Jazz," Alice said with a sympathetic squeeze. "She'll be here soon."

Her husband sighed. This act alone made everyone gawking at them within their vicinity fall back. After all seeing two gorgeous people like Jasper and Alice was a rare sight indeed.

Jasper, with his honey blond hair and caramel eyes contrasting with his alabaster skin looked like a modern-day Adonis. His features were perfectly flawless so it seemed to human eyes. Then there was Alice with her perfectly spiky brown hair and same colored eyes. Well beyond her time really. Even though the pair looked so out of place – they still blended with the crowds. Soon no one could distinguish them being present.

They strolled past another brand name store when Alice stopped. Her eyes darkening slightly as she surveyed the clothes in the brand name store. Ignoring any onlookers she swept into the shop dragging her husband with her.

Jasper gave a long-suffering look at his wife. It was always like this. Alice was a bit special in her sight. She could see possibilities in the future. Once a course was set, she knew there was no turning back. That is precisely why she confirmed with him if it was alright if the pair visited London despite the scorching summer. It was not their normal time of visiting Europe. It was usually far too sunny or hot. Two things Jasper didn't really like since it reminded him of his days in the South.

Alice paused while looking at a rack. She stood as if in a trance for a few seconds before standing straighter. Jasper could sense immediately the urgency his wife felt. Without speaking the pair walked out of the store (much to the chagrin of the shop keeper).

"She's going to be with her husband and – Harry." Alice paused when she smiled a sad smile before looking to her husband. "I think, we may have to make space for a – shall we say, 'long lost cousin' of mine."

Jasper raised an eyebrow and pressed his lips together. His wife's cryptic dialogue was hard to fathom at times. He was certain he would be told exactly what was happening after the fact. At least, that was his hope.

As they got nearer to a nondescript store, the pair saw a family standing close by. Firstly there was a red-head woman with her back turned to them. She was a small figure, a bit taller than Alice, perhaps by an inch facing her husband. The man had wild black hair and glasses looking forlornly at his wife. For a moment, the blond man felt a bit sorry for the other. He knew that shopping with any woman (although Alice could top them all) was a real drain. The other thing Jasper noticed the most (other than the delicious human smell) was a baby carrier cot close by. The couple was possibly (at least in physical age) a couple of years older than Alice and himself.

He nearly wanted to back away but sensed without even reading the emotions around him what Alice was about to do. He almost had to stop himself from yelling at his wife for…

"Hello there, my name is Alice and this is my husband Jasper. You must be James and Lily." She said with a cheery tone.

…doing exactly what she was doing now.

The man automatically went from tired to wary. He took a subtly protective stance towards his wife. His gaze automatically shifting to Jasper and his hand was twitching.

"I'm sorry about my wife." He decided that it was a good time to intervene. Alice's oftentimes 'out-going' nature was a bit of a hindrance when it came to others. She was too direct – really – a bit much. Well, not always but when it came to –

"Please Jazz, it's quite alright. I'm sorry for startling you. I believe we were supposed to meet." Alice stated with a grin.

Jasper knew a lost cause when he sensed one. He fell behind and kept solid watching the man – James if he wasn't mistaken. Although he was human – wait – that smell. He knew that fragrance…

"Yes, I quite think so." The woman replied, stepping in front of her own husband. Stretching out a hand she grinned. "Lily Potter."

Alice smiled. "Again, I'm Alice Cullen."

"It's a pleasure…"

"It's nice to…"

"Meet you."

For a few seconds the grown men in the group of five looked down at their wives with varying looks. Jasper didn't have to sense what James was feeling. The emotions of shock, anger, wariness and above all love. It was radiating off him in waves.

The funniest thing about this entire meeting was that it happened with a mix of faith. You see about two hours before this meeting of unexpected couples – Lily Potter had taken a potion.

*

_Felix Felicis_ is what most people like to call "liquid luck". It works better than any charms out there to bring about good fortune (other than Christian prayer).

Lily felt that today could possibly be the last day she would have with her husband and baby Harry. She had not been fretting exactly but she was concerned. She trusted her old Head Master (Albus Dumbledore) and the friends of her husband but due to her husband's usual stubbornness. Lily felt she couldn't do anything to change the circumstances.

She knew that if something should happen to her family – if heaven forbid – James and her passed leaving only Harry behind. Precautions had to be made. Although Sirius, James' best friend was named godfather – Lily wanted to make certain that in times like these – someone else was there for her son. She knew that if anything should happen to Sirius then Harry would possibly go to her sister, Petunia. This revelation grieved her. Her sister wasn't at all the nicest girl. There had been moments of tension between them as she went to school. Perhaps – Lily thought upon reflection, due to her sister's attitude towards magic.

That aside, she knew that her family needed someone who wasn't related to her or James in anyway. In the event they died and Harry survived. It was a depressing thought but looking at the circumstances – anything and everything could be possible.

Lily wished that times were different and they could have put Remus down as their secondary guardian. However, the way things went in magical legalism in any case – werewolves weren't allowed much. They posed "a threat" every once a month. They didn't need to become properly involved in society. These thoughts Lily Potter felt preposterous to no end.

She was at a loss as to what to do. She knew somehow – ever since Harry was born – that her family was special. Already three times within the past year did James and her managed to escape from You-Know-Who. Already he was marking them and their boy with a frightful intensity.

She almost felt certain that before things got better, they would get worse…much worse. Lily began putting her efforts into work and research. She looked into everything she could find to help her out. She passed through resources upon resources regarding laws and other miscellaneous items. She was looking for anything and even – anyone – that could best fit who she wanted as a failsafe should the worse possible outcome prevail. Even though Dumbledore could have been a secondary guardian, Lily felt that he would have placed Harry somewhere else less than reasonable. She almost feared he might place Harry with the Dursleys (Petunia's family) given the chance.

She absolutely did not want that to happen. When she was at her wits end – she remembered one thing.

Once, long ago, well really three years ago – she had been part of a special group at school. Most people dubbed it the "Slug Club". It was where her old Potions Professor brought together an elite group of students her old teacher chose due to their influential family ties or because he believed they would be important some day.

She recalled that her old teacher, Professor Slughorn had a potion. This particular liquid gave the drinker particularly favorable circumstances. She didn't believe she needed it but for reasons unknown…she thought of it.

Fortunately, she was a favorite of Professor Slughorn. She didn't have quite get the ingredients or the instructions to make it. However – the kind man had decided to provide her with a small vial. He said (although rushed), that he would do anything to help dear Lily in all that she did – since they were at war after all. It helped that she slipped him a few coins and a fanciful piece of magical transfiguration as a gift.

Everyone needed a bit of luck.

It was this exact potion she had taken just as she was getting ready for her day. The idea of shopping and convincing her husband to go had been quite the best idea. She had a feeling that she was supposed to be meeting someone.

She didn't know who it was…until now.


	2. Beginnings: Part II

**Beginnings: Part 2**

**The Rules of the Game**

There are rules to everything in life. There are rules for sports, politics, writing, fashion and a multitude of other areas. These boundaries have been around since time immemorial to make sure things went naturally smoothly. After all, playing basketball without gravity would be like playing half a game. The thing is – borders like fences can bend.

The day the Cullens and the Potters met was the day that the rules changed.

"Lils," James murmured late one night as they lay in bed side by side. "Are we certain this is the best thing to do?"

Lily sighed. "No dearest, in fact I don't even know if we can get away with it."

The couple lay in silence. It had been an odd couple of months. Since their initial meeting with the Cullens, the family had made a few startling discoveries. Despite the lack of trust between the two men initially, the two women hit it off.

After a half hour of more clothes shopping with Alice and Lily frisking off to buy "girlish" things – the slightly weary group (excluding Alice and Jasper) chose to go to a muggle restaurant. They chose a secluded spot to talk.

James immediately pounced on Alice and Jasper asking them who they were. He mentioned that for now he was certain they weren't enemies considering the unconventional way Alice and Lily became friends. He kept his voice low and intimidating just the same. He wanted to know who they actually were and what they wanted.

Alice had grinned. Lily could remember that much.

* * *

"_I thought you would be like this James." The pixie like girl said. "I'm certain you know what seers are. Correct?" _

_For a few moments there was silence. The two adults brought out of their shock by the gurgling of a now wide awake Harry. Lily couldn't help but pick up her baby boy. He scrunched up his face in a crying motion only to be distracted when his mom spun him about to look at the strangers. He had taken one look at the opposite couple and grinned. _

"_For now," Alice stated returning the baby's smile. "Let's learn how to be friends?" _

_The blond man gave a stiff nod since he wasn't at all used to infants. His wife on the other hand paused as if frozen in a perpetual smile that grew slightly darker in a matter of seconds. _

_Lily couldn't help but pull her baby closer reflectively as James grasped the wand he now held beneath the table. They noticed the opposite couple's reactions. They were strangers meeting with strangers after all. There was tension in the air that was quickly diffused by a wave of calm. The effects of the peace were like a spell. _

"_What did you do?" James hissed quietly glaring between the two. _

"_Like my wife," Jasper replied. "The gift to heighten or change the emotions in a room is rare and far between." _

_Again there was a moment's shock. "Who are you people?" The dark man couldn't help but exclaim. Lily as if compelled by another force (which in a manner of speaking she was) placed a comforting hand on her husband's tensing form. _

_One arm still expertly holding on to Harry, the redhead spoke. "Darling, I have a good feeling about them."

* * *

_

Of course that was probably the potion talking. After that came a brief but intense friendship much to James' chagrin.

The Cullens and Potters would meet at a different location each time in Muggle London. Sometimes they all shopped (James bought a strange muggle contraption called a record player), other times sight-seeing (Harry giggled at the sight of Big Ben). Most times they chatted in tucked away corners of cafes or restaurants. Twice they stayed at the Cullens' hotel.

Seven times altogether in the past two months they met. In the last of their meetings – many shocking things were revealed. The things exposed nearly brought the Potters to tears.

* * *

"_Alice and I had a discussion." Jasper began not long after the Potters sat down at their suite's dining room table. Refreshments and other muggle goodies covered the table in a stylish display much to the pleasure of James' rumbling stomach. Not wanting to be too rude (although it was his second & last time in the Cullens' presence) he decided to drink his water a bit before digging in. _

"_You must have noticed by now that we are not like any – ah – non-magical people you've come across. In fact, if you put it our way – we're not exactly people either." The blond man continued even as James was to take a sip of water. _

"_Then what are you?" Lily asked straightforwardly. One word was all it took to bring the poor Mr. Potter choking on his drink. _

"…_Vampires." _

"_WHAT!" _

"_Don't even think of hexing us James even with fire." Alice growled at the dark man who automatically took out his wand. _

"_But – you're – you're…Lily! Why are you so calm?" His wife indeed sat stock still, face pale but the shock had worn out faster as thoughts raced through her mind. He knew that look. "Lily? Did you know?" _

"_Darling," Lily finally whispered. "Sit down. Look at their eyes…normally – they're different." _

_That was all it took for James to follow his wife's gaze. The other couple sat still, as if waiting for things to calm naturally (without Jasper's help). The dark haired man realized what his wife was getting at. _

"_Why are your eyes amber and not the standard red?" He asked above a whisper, kicking himself for being overly trusting. War could make you paranoid and after meeting with the Cullens. After becoming better acquainted – and as loathe as he wanted to say it – the more friendly he became with the duo…he almost felt normal. The fact that his family was in hiding due to a madman chasing them because of a foolish prophecy was quite draining. Having peaceful lives was a treasure. _

"_You could say we're vegetarian." Alice said with a smile. "We drink animal blood and not human." _

_The overwhelming feeling raised another notch in the minds of the Potters. _

"_I have some difficulties with control." Jasper continued. "So you have every right to be wary. However, for the sake of your family, listen to my wife. She has some very important things to tell you." _

_That feeling just hit the roof. _

_After calming down for what seemed like forever, Alice sat them down on their couch. Lily held Harry protectively as James rolled his wand about his shaking hands. _

"_Like I mentioned before, I am a seer. I can see the possibilities of the future. Two months ago I was with Jasper in the woods when I saw your son. He was young, maybe seven years old and was holding a frying pan in his hands with bandages around them. He was cooking breakfast and there was a fat man reading the paper. A tall woman, she reminds me of a horse, was standing there glaring at your son. A fat boy dawdled in. It was too clear for it not to come true." Alice said with a sigh. _

_James laughed (not a friendly one mind). "My son – in the future – will be cooking with bandages on his hands. What will he be? He is no house elf or slave! He will live with Sirius!" _

_Lily had gone pale but kept her silence. Jasper gave the other man a long hard look, effectively silencing him as Alice continued. _

"_Is Sirius a man with long dark hair and blue eyes?" Alice asked quietly. There was a nod of an affirmative. She sighed. "I see, one moment. Ah yes," it was a few seconds but the Potters could see the slight pixie-like woman go into an almost blank-eyed state. "I see him in a dark cell surrounded by the screams of those guilty and insane." _

"_Azkaban…" James breathed. "Sirius is in Azkaban…no." _

"_My visions are subjected to choices." Alice stated. "I don't always get the full picture. Either way – what I do see in the bits that come my way point to a bad ending. I couldn't make sense of this at the time until I saw another vision. In it – there was a flash of green and the only one left was Harry." _

_The revelations were too surreal. The prophecy, the precautions they had taken and everything pointing to a negative end were becoming too much. After all there was only so much one could handle. _

"_We die?" Lily whispered, rocking Harry back and forth. The boy was squirming in his mother's grasp and giving a strangled cry of infantile annoyance. She didn't let go. _

"_Even if you had lived, the future has been marked. In each vision I've seen thus far – there's no other way to put this but death is imminent. No matter how many times you try to escape, he will come after you and the only one to remain is Harry. He tries to get at another family only to drive them insane. You are the only ones left to destroy." _

_James slammed his hands down on the table of the restaurant forcefully. His reaction caused young Harry to look up from Lily's arms startled. _

"_That is not going to happen!" He roared. "Who are you to tell us what the future will hold! Like you said, the visions you have are subjected to choices. In the end our decisions they make the future! There is always hope of escape!" _

_A wave of calm hit him in the chest, effectively reducing him to a state of half-consciousness. Jasper firmed his lips. "Sorry about that." _

_Lily sat still, clutching to both baby and husband. Her heart beating erratically in her chest but the truth becoming more real the more she digested the information. _

"_I've looked at other possibilities." Alice stated. "Your son is going to and always will be marked. There is no other way about it. I'm sorry. It's the other things we can help with though." _

"_What other things?" Lily asked, quickly realizing there really wasn't much left to hope for. James was now asleep thanks to Jasper's strength in his gift. She was the only one to hear Alice's words. She swallowed the guile rising up in her throat. Inevitability was always hard to take. _

"_It's a possibility that Harry will be sent to the horrid family in one of my visions. It's a possibility that the person you have as guardian will not be able to fulfill his duties. Everything about how or when you die is a chaotic mess. What I can tell you is that if the person or thing that causes your deaths also aids in confusing the guardianship a tad – it will come about in the way I have seen it. There is also a possibility that members of our kind will side with that dark power especially when it means – well for lack of better words – free meals. This normally wouldn't matter to me…" Alice said. "But vowing to protect the innocent is really something I like to uphold." _

_It was possibly all too much all at once but what could be done? Really…what else could they do? _

"_I can see that you're overwhelmed by this information." The pixie like woman stated even as Lily attempted to keep hold of a now sleeping Harry. "I am sorry. What we can offer you though – is our names." _

_Jasper nodded when Lily looked at the blond man though not really seeing him. "We can be the other guardians. The ones who can take Harry should all other channels fail." Alice stated. "I know in your world you have laws and regulations about these things. However, our world and yours are not that intertwined. All your people know are that every one of us must be registered and dismissed. We are evil creatures." _

_Here she grinned with lethal teeth showing. "The thing is," she continued. "Your people will not know who or what we are until it's too late. By then, your son will be with us – safe from as much harm as he possibly will be until he returns for school."

* * *

_

As Lily reviewed the last few weeks especially that final meeting, she couldn't remember what changed her fear to trust. She knew that meeting did far more to her psyche than she was willing to admit. Vampires with powers and a will to refuse human blood – who would have thought they existed? Perhaps it was too much, maybe surreal. In the end Lily concluded that she only had Felix and fate to thank. A couple of days after that meeting – the Potters met the rest of the Cullens.

Alice and Jasper were the introduction. They were as prepared as they could be for Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett. This left them feeling a touch more sensitive. Could they trust a coven of such strange creatures? What if one of them turned and wanted more? The control Jasper had was remarkable – he mentioned it had been very difficult even keeping calm or using his powers at all. Yet he did so saying that they – as people had a difficult (albeit delicious) scent. Again, it was all unnerving.

The night was getting darker as the couple lay together on their bed. The tension from the past few weeks coupled without their usual passion had been building. They needed release. So to make things lighter, the dark haired man grinned in the haze of night.

"They're vampires." James murmured. "They were vampires all along."

"I know." Lily whispered.

"Of all things…I can't believe it. Even when I found out about Remus and his wolf-like inhibitions – well this probably takes the cake. How on earth do vampires stand being around humans and not doing that?"

"Remember they said they were "vegetarian". They don't drink human blood." Lily stated.

"I know that dear. Wait until the boys hear this! Imagine, vegetarian vampires, who knew that such beings existed?"

Lily sighed. "Just remember dear. They're supposed to be kept secret?"

James sighed. "Right…hmm, you know what else is supposed to be kept secret?"

"What my dear?" Lily asked thankful for the reprieve of memories and thoughts. She quickly found that the built up tension between them was about to be released. Of course she melted for her husband's quick and passionate kisses.

It's sad to note that within a few days in a flash of betrayal. They died just as Alice predicted leaving their son alone with his mother's love and a scar in the shape of a thunderbolt. On a chilly November evening, just before dawn, news spread quickly of Voldemort's sudden defeat. The villain was dead and all were celebrating.

Yet in the cover of night, the Potters' only child was left on the doorstep (as was again – orchestrated by the unknown) of Number 4, Privet Drive. The young man, Sirius Black (Harry's Godfather and named guardian), was put away into Azkaban innocent without trial. What Alice saw as a possibility came to pass even with certain precautions.

Sometimes, there is no way around fate. Or so it seems…


	3. Rule 1: Expectedly Unexpected

**Rule I: Expectedly Unexpected**

Life is unpredictable. Even the best laid plans can go astray.

The night the Potters died, a terrible thing happened to the Cullens. A group of nomads who briefly formed a coven entered their town in Forks, Washington. With them came a thirst of blood and innocence.

Their coming and intentions wasn't a foreseeable event until it was almost too late.

The consequences of their arrival led to a sudden infestation of shape-shifting men to wolves to drive out the enemy. For a few months, there was tension between the Cullens and the wolf tribe they had made a pact with long ago. In the midst of that civil tension, these nomads got a hold of the town's Chief of Police. In a strange twist, Charlie nearly died – only to be rescued by the Cullens. Without a choice the poor man was changed.

In his new life, unlike many others – he had amazing control over himself. Something he died with was a sense to protect life in all shapes and sizes therefore bringing into his new form. With help from the Cullens, he moved to Alaska to temper his thirst. He wrote to his only daughter, not trusting himself to call her, knowing that his change would be noticeable. He told the Cullens he would join them just as soon as he adapted to his new way of life. He would also only join them when he could control himself enough around others.

The events of this alone caused nearly a two-year hiatus to the original plans. Alice had become frustrated (of course). But one thing to remember – the best course of action whether a future is guaranteed or not – always expect the unexpected. Another year passed as the Cullens made certain they had a place in the United Kingdom for new homes and new territory.

This alone took another year to accomplish. They hadn't visited this part of Europe in a while, so it had been a bit of a struggle. From then on, they also needed to research the Potters' world. This alone took up another year before finally; they could put plans into action.

*

In the county of Surrey, in the small north corner above the River Thames is a boring, little town called Little Whinging. For its residents, it is a pleasant enough place with a few good shops, parks for them to drop off their children and a Primary School that was neither here or there. It was a good place for families to grow up in. Disregarding the fact that most of the parents didn't know some of their children were hooligans taking pleasure in bullying those younger themselves.

A good example of this would be one five-year-old Dudley Dursley. This little boy was the most unpleasant little monster whose size made him a terror to all children his age. He was rather large and looked for the entire world like a walking, blabbering, watermelon with a mean streak. Even at his young and decisively non-responsible age, he was a bully. His favourite pastime was chasing his younger cousin around the neighbourhood play park despite his mother's presence and the other parents.

The adults think they're playing tag but Dudley knew better.

He'd seen cousin try to run away from his dad. His dad would always catch his cousin and beat him up. That made chasing Harry Potter (his cousin's name) perfectly normal. After all, the other boy was so easy to toss around. So this was how he spent the first part of the morning. While from the outset the little boy was "innocently playing around", to a woman with long blond hair and flashing amber eyes – this was not the case.

She watched as young Dudley swatted his cousin every time he caught him. The portly child making sure that the other little boy felt pain every time. She barely moved from her spot beside a tall tree, looking beautiful and impassive. Her presence drew the gaze of those in park. For the woman was indeed like an angel. Her hair was long and shone like gold. Her face was pale and gave a strange sheen. She was watching the playground as if she was looking at one of the children with an almost hungry gaze.

The play ground quickly dispersed once they noticed the beautiful woman as if focused on their children. It got worse when an equally large man (also frighteningly beautiful with the same amber eyes) joined the blond woman. Together, the duo made an impressive pair.

Dudley's mother, Petunia Dursley wasn't paying attention in the slightest. In fact her horse-like nose was stuck between the pages of a popular "rag mag" where the writers did nothing but bring up the stupidest rumours on famous celebrities.

She had a good idea where Dudley was (reluctantly also keeping an eye out for her nephew) but wasn't all too concerned. He was having fun and that was all that mattered. He would cry if something went wrong. As much as she loved her darling boy, he could be a handful sometimes. Therefore, reading an article on one of those famous soap stars having an affair with someone in Parliament. It was a welcomed break.

The deeper she got into the article the less she noticed the boys. She didn't see the park empty of other parents. Nor did Petunia watch the dark clouds rolling overhead. She was too busy to realize that if she and the boys stayed out any longer, they would be caught in the middle of a delightful autumn storm.

Meanwhile, Harry was doing his very childish best to get away from his cousin. Unlike his family members, he saw the other kids and their parents go away. He also noticed the strangely beautiful couple. He wondered who they were. He wondered why they looked so different from other people. Then he wondered why they were so pale. He wondered why people like them (who looked like they should be going to school still) be watching Dudley chase him around. His thoughts raced leaping with curiosity.

Then he tripped.

"I got you freak!" Dudley exclaimed giddily despite his obvious lack of breath. He intended one thing, to hurt his younger cousin because it was fun. As the little boy made the move to pounce on his fallen cousin but was surprised when he was at least six feet up in the air. Large, muscular arms wrapped around him causing the rotund boy to freeze in shock.

"I don't think so big guy," a succinct, velvet voice stated into the little boy's ear. "It's nice to play rough but when it comes to hurting others. Well – unless they consent to it, you don't. Now be good when you get home, play nice with your cousin or we'll eat you up."

Dudley didn't move after that. Even at five, the youngest Dursley knew that when it came to persons bigger than yourself, you listen. You listen well. He didn't move after the big man's words. He in fact, didn't even move when the big man placed him in his mother's lap in what felt like a few seconds. His mother on the other hand was far beyond surprised.

It got worse when she saw the couple themselves. They were far more beautiful than any celebrity she read about in her tabloids. This spoke to her in volumes. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Dudley, forgetting the paper she had just been reading a few seconds ago. Her eyes looking up in fear at the big man in front of her – the one she hadn't really noticed before.

"Who – who are you?" Petunia managed to stammer. The big man gave her a feral grin. She and her son shivered in fright.

He stood there quietly, just as a blonde woman came sidling up beside him with young Harry in her arms. Funny enough, the little boy with wild black hair and brilliant green eyes didn't look out of place in the blonde's embrace.

In fact, he looked like he belonged with his wiry frame blending into her statuesque one. He looked more like a three year old than the five year old he also was. The blonde didn't speak much to Petunia's chagrin.

However, she didn't need to. The horse-like woman could not only see the dangerous rage behind the caramel brown eyes but feel it down to her marrow.

For his part, Harry didn't want to let go of this woman's neck. While the big man had looked after Dudley, the blonde woman had gently picked him up and gave him a soothing pat. She had whispered into his ear that he would be okay and very soon, he would be in a warm place with a real family.

She promised.

So when the blonde woman gently deposited him beside the rest of his family despite his tight grip around her, he felt so much colder than before. He knew that he shouldn't want so much from a stranger and that promises could be broken. Yet, even the woman herself didn't radiate heat but Harry knew that she had shown him more kindness than Mrs. Figg of Magnolia Crescent. Her actions toward him was the warmest he'd ever felt.

"We'll be leaving now, it's about to rain. You should all go home before it does." The big man stated, not wiping the feral grin from his face. "We'll be seeing you."

The couple walked away, much to the surprise of the Dursleys and Harry. The blonde woman briefly turned to look at Harry with a wink before she held hands with the big man. Together they made a stunning pair, faces forward, and arms around each other. Nothing more was said before droplets of rain started coming down just as the couple said.

Without further ado, Petunia shook herself out of her senses and got both boys out towards their home of Privet Drive. Unfortunately, when they arrived home an hour later the rain soaked them straight through.

"Boy! Grab towels from upstairs. Take off your shoes! I don't want you slopping the mess from outside on my clean floors! Oh Dudders, I know sweetheart. You're cold, mummy is too. There, there, come let's take off your shoes and get warmed up by the fireplace. There's a good boy." Petunia busied herself to look after her son even as Harry chattered away towards the bathroom cupboard.

He found the towels and just as he got one out, he saw a flash of light from outside. It startled him for a moment as did the sound of a vehicle pulling up the drive. Shaking the ominous feeling he had, the little boy continued his task. Small arms and hands reaching for towels that was even bigger than him. Once supplied with three of the fluffiest and warmest ones he could find, he made his way carefully back to where his relatives were. Along the way, he nearly tripped down the stairs taking it all down.

Suddenly, as he got to the living room where a semblance of light was emanating from the fireplace, the lights went out. Everything looked to still and quiet except for the quiet shivers of his aunt and cousin. Oh, and the rain hadn't stopped. Harry frowned. He didn't mind the dark or noises but that didn't mean he wasn't wary of them.

"Well boy!" Petunia exclaimed. "Don't just stand there; come over here with those towels. Yes, yes Dudders."

"Mummy, I'm cold!" The rotund boy cried. Harry wished he could say that he was too. However, first rule of the Dursley's household was for him not to complain. He didn't see why he was stuck with limitations when his own cousin clearly was not. It pained him greatly. He wished the blonde woman's words came true. He wondered and hoped that they were the long lost relatives he wished he had.

Harry brought the towels over and was nearly toppled over when his aunt took them quite forcibly, rubbing them all over Dudley, leaving none him. His teeth were beginning to vibrate in his mouth as he felt the cold finally settle in.

"Do stop trembling like that boy and go to your cupboard. Change out of those miserable clothes. Dudley dear, you stay here while mummy gets you new clothes." Petunia stated, grabbing Harry by the frayed collar of his shirt (a hand me down of Dudley's). She forcibly opened his cupboard door and pushed him inside. He stumbled and stubbed his toe. He bit back a cry as his aunt locked him in. Tears crowded at his eyes – he was only five! Why was she so mean?

In the darkness, he struggled to find a set of clothing. He shuddered, shivered and did what he was told, knowing it would be some time before he came out again. Well, at least that's what he thought. Harry found a pair of clean underwear, oversized shorts and a t-shirt to wear from the one shelf cleared for his use within the cupboard. No sooner had he changed (mind you all in the dark) – did there come a screech overhead.

"WHO ARE YOU?" It was Aunt Petunia. "HOW DID YOU GET IN? THIEVES, MURDERERS! GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE NOW! I AM CALLING THE POLICE!"

There was a strange noise, as if someone had suddenly fallen down somewhere overhead. There were more noises, a muffled laugh and then he heard someone yell close by.

"MUM!" It was Dudley, his voice high-pitched before he too, became silent. In the dark of his cupboard, the poor little boy scrambled to the very far back of the cupboard. Senses told him, the furthest he was away from the door, the better.

There was more movement, a few breaths of fabric. It didn't make sense to Harry as he sat in his cupboard solitary.

"Don't you think that was a bit over-dramatic Emmett?" A young woman's voice asked with a tinge of amusement.

"It worked. Now where's our wonder boy?" Harry perked up at the sound of the replier's voice. It was like that man's voice in the park!

"Be nice Emmett." A soft voice called from downstairs. "Alice, Jasper has the fat one. Where's Harry?"

Harry strained to hear all their voices. The last one was a female's. For five, he prided himself for not being as stupid as his cousin. The other boy could barely count to twenty. From where he was and the names the people mentioned he counted at least five people in the house that he wasn't related to. Uncle Vernon would probably be coming home from Grunnings any minute. By the sounds of it, he would be bringing more visitors.

"Rose, he's in the…" Harry couldn't really see in the dark. The lights hadn't come back on yet but he could tell that they were outside the door.

"HE'S WHAT!" There was furious screech. It was beautiful in its sound like a thunder clap or a violin playing an extremely sharp note. The little boy couldn't help but hold his breath. He knew that voice. It was the woman from the park. He almost relaxed. Had they truly come for him? He remained tense, not knowing what to do. At the moment, he knew he was stuck.

"Rosalie, he's confused right now and scared. Lower your voice." Another soft voice remarked. There was a brief yet tense silence.

"Is that her again?" The same woman asked.

"Let's take them into the living room. Families should stay together after all." One of the earlier voices (the only other female) said airily. "Come on Rose, let's have Edward handle this."

"Edward? I wanted to get Har – Alice Cullen, let go!"

"Jas, buddy, how are you holding up?" The large man's voice interrupted.

"Fine, I wouldn't want to have them as a meal anyway. They don't smell appetizing." Another voice replied. Someone chuckled. More movement, a close of the door and their voices were quiet – more like whispers.

Their words overwhelmed Harry and he was still cold from the rain. All he wanted was to hide, to disappear and to – the lights outside came back on. Harry gasped. There were shapes outside his door. He covered his mouth with his hands. What was he doing? Of course they could hear him! They knew where he was and he hadn't even made a sound! They were carnivores! Weren't they? Or was that other word? What was it?

His mind racing – he didn't have much time to think when the door opened revealing another boy with burnished bronze hair and familiar caramel eyes. He was exceedingly pale and crouching in front of the cupboard facing Harry. In the darkness of his hiding place, he could see that the boy was extremely-good looking and slender.

"Hello there," the boy said gently (his voice reminded Harry of a soft terry robe, the kind Aunt Petunia had hanging in the washroom). "My name is Edward and I'm sorry if my family – if we're scaring you. We didn't want to do that. Would you like to come out?"

The little black haired boy sniffed. "Are you going to hurt me?"

The boy, Edward shook his head. "No, I promise we won't hurt you."

Harry took a chance and crawled slowly from where he had hid himself. His baggy pants dragged past his feet picking up dirt along the way, as he slowly moved towards Edward. The other boy moved to make room for him as he exited, sitting on his haunches. Using the doorway of the cupboard for support, the little five-year-old surveyed the hall.

Other than Edward, there was a girl with short spiky black hair to his left. She was taller than him but just as pale and with the same amber eyes. He wondered if it was a family trait or something. They all looked so alike! They were even weirder than him.

Edward chuckled to his left. Harry looked at the boy and the woman with wide eyes. How was he supposed to know that they were telling him the truth? Everyone always skewers the truth.

"Well now that we can see you, what's your name?" The older boy asked.

"Harry," he replied quietly. "Harry James Potter."

They stood that way for a few seconds.

Their eyes met each other in a strange way. One set of amber eyes piercing into the equally brilliant set of green. The very existence of fate put to the forefront as these two sized each other up.

For his part, Edward Cullen was quite surprised by the little boy. In those depths of green – he was suddenly reminded of his own self. When his life had been mortal, as a child he had been alone. As a child, he only had his mother and father. He had no other friends. He had been isolated from the world.

Yes, life is unpredictable, wild and definitely exciting. Just as you think you've erected walls so strong with a heart that no longer beats, beware. There will always come a time when something in life triggers change.

* * *

**A Few Words from Thomn**: Readers, allow me to introduce myself. I am what you call the person who tells the story as the author sees fit. Think the voice of Sir Ian McKellan or even Kristen Stewart. I'm disembodied so you never know who or what I really am. Hm, the use of imagination as the author likes to call it.

The purpose of this particular blurb is to let you all know any difficulties the author is having. Or when she is running out of ideas – she releases them in short bursts in which I am called for. She works me tirelessly and she's already speeding along to the third chapter. She requires a really good beta-reader (or just some excellent reviews) to catch her when she digresses from the story flow.

In addition, you'll only see me or hear me in what the author calls "Omniscient Narrations". It's all quite confusing but you'll get to know Day in a rather unconventional manner. Having said all of that (quite boring if you ask me), it was nice meeting you all and enjoy the rest of the story as she updates.

Regards,

Thomn

(AKA _The Omniscient Narrator_)


	4. Rule 2: Contracts Make Good Threats

**Rule II: Contracts Make Good Threats **

Alice smiled.

She watched as her older "brother" crouched in front of the little boy. In the flashes of visions she had she could see the change in both of them.

Initially, no one wanted to do this. It was too dangerous – like tempting piranhas with flesh – to take in a human child. It didn't even make sense to do so when the child had family already.

When the other Cullens met the Potters (Edward deciding to blend into the background…after all he'd been around since the first meeting), it had been awkward. There was uncertainty as to whether this harebrained scheme would work.

Of course, that all changed the moment they started following Harry. After seeing the roughhousing the child had taken, let's just say the sceptics among the Cullen coven died.

Well, figuratively speaking.

They would have killed Vernon Dursley given the chance. As the immature boys they were, Emmett and Jasper had made bets to see who would get to him first.

Emmett believed that Rosalie would play with Vernon, chain him up and scour him from the inside out before going in for the kills. He also thought that Edward would be more direct, rip the man into separate limbs before doing something grotesquely artistic to him.

Jasper figured that Rosalie would be the more direct one, shoving the man into the cupboard before sending someone else to kill him. Edward would play mind games on the fellow before ripping him apart throwing all the pieces into a fire.

Fortunately, the task to get Vernon was given to Esme and Carlisle. They would – for all intents and purposes being the "civil" ones.

All in all, Alice's confidence in having Harry around was confirmed. She had seen it in her visions of the future. Even if they were subjected to the indecisiveness of others at times – she had gotten it down well enough to figure out the next steps.

They would take Harry, get the Dursleys sign some papers – the real nature known only to the Cullens – and for the next eleven months undo the damage done to him.

Having the little boy around would help with everyone's thirst. In addition, the magic would help too. She grinned and saw a small shadow of doubt cross Edward's face. It disappeared when she showed him an image of a little boy with an impossible abnormality. It was "impossible" by their standards. It wouldn't for Harry.

The older boy gave her the slightest of surprised looks. Alice's visions were after all subjected to the change of minds of a person. It was best if he could draw a better response from the child.

Edward, by nature was a charming yet stubborn fellow. The fact that Harry was not really giving him much to go with frustrated him to no end. He had opinions regarding the safety of his family especially when humans are concerned. In some ways he acted as look-out for their family. There was no need for humans knowing who they were. It would be dangerous for everyone. For instance, the very fact they were in a human home without consent had already broken so many rules.

"Well, Harry James Potter." Edward said slowly. "This is my sister Alice."

"Hello Harry." Alice greeted brightly.

The little boy, Harry was far too adorable for words. Already Alice could see how he would turn out with the proper training, education and oh – this was so exciting! Not only that but every girl within the vicinity of their family was going to – well…let's just say Edward was going to have competition.

Her brother gave her a brief, long-_suffering_ glance. The only thing that came across that look was the words "shut up Alice". Giggling, Alice stooped down to Harry's height, not hard to do considering her own lack of size.

"It's nice to meet you." She grinned.

The shy little boy clung to the cupboard doorway as if his life depended on it. There was something odd about these people. Just like the man and woman in the park.

"Where are my aunt and cousin?" Harry asked quietly deciding he may as well try his luck. So far the two people before him looked sincere.

"They are with our brothers and sister." Edward answered. "They won't hurt them. Or eat them."

The last part was an after thought on his part. Then again looking into Harry's eyes, it was good he said that. The boy was scared of monsters. Internally, within the recesses of his mind that couldn't be touched by other people's voices, Edward winced. He and his kind was the closest thing to monsters. Having a child…especially a human child was wrong.

"Would you like to have a new family Harry?" Alice asked interrupting Edward's thoughts. The older boy glared at his sister. That question was far too soon to be asked.

The little boy looked at her intensely. The shock of the question imminent was on his face. They remained like this for some time until something moved outside the front door. Everyone stiffened and Harry receded a little into the cupboard.

The two siblings shared a look.

_Edward,_ Alice called into her brother's mind. _It's Vernon with Esme and Carlisle. We need to get Harry into the living room._

"Harry," Edward said finally. "Would you like to come with me into the living room? You can answer Alice's question later. I promise you that you won't get hurt or eaten. Neither will your family. Can you trust me on that?"

There was a few seconds of intense silence. Trust wasn't exactly the easiest thing for Harry to do. His uncle, aunt and cousin all damaged a part of his confidence in others. Then again – he was willing to take a chance. Although he was five years old, reflecting on how these people treated him so far. It was a lot better than Dursleys.

Then again, most people were better than his relatives.

Giving a brief nod, he took Edward's outstretched hand and followed behind him. Alice was followed after them. What Harry saw in the living room was quite a surprise.

Aunt Petunia and Dudley were huddled in front of the fireplace, using the towels as blankets. The blonde man was waiting beside the door, farthest away from them. Emmett and Rosalie were on either side of his relatives unwavering.

"Come on Harry, this way." Edward said, settling them in the chair beside the front window. The little boy hesitated crawling on to his lap.

No sooner had the pair settled down that voices came in from behind them. The older, bronze hair boy took to awkwardly patting Harry's back (gently as if to soothe the anxiety he felt). He also watched the rest of the group.

Edward had seen the look of derision on Mrs. Dursley's face mixed with fear. He knew that she wasn't pleased. His expression darkened. The woman was thinking already of all the ways to hurt Harry should they get out of this alive. He nearly cursed, pulling the sweet smelling child closer to him. Thankfully he'd been able to see what Alice saw. He smirked, these humans would get more than what they deserved but the consequences should they not follow through. Well, that was something to look forward to.

He decided to take a peak into the thoughts of those around him. Just to make sure.

Jasper was fighting with himself. The thirst wasn't as bad tonight as on other nights. He knew the purposes of tonight's meeting. He was determined as he fought the beast within himself, that he would not lose control. He couldn't afford to if Harry was coming with them.

_It was tempting…_he thought. _I would have issues with Rosalie and Emmett. Alice wouldn't like it neither the others. I could do it though. Just go over there and pierce the skin of that woman's…_

"Jasper," Edward murmured loud enough for him and the others to hear excluding the humans in front of the fire place. "Mind your thoughts."

The blonde man let out a growl. Alice went towards where he stood and patted his arm affectionately. It calmed him somewhat. A soft ease came through in a wave throughout the room. Everyone relaxed – well except Petunia and Dudley.

Rosalie, on the other hand kept looking towards Edward. She wanted to see the child. She wasn't sure herself if she could control the urgings. However, in her musings, she was excited to see Harry. Emmett just wanted this to get over with so he could go back to a rematch against Jasper. Those two, Edward grinned, should never change.

His gaze flickered towards Alice. He saw her skipping ahead to possible futures. He relaxed slightly in relief before hearing the thoughts of Esme, Carlisle and Vernon Dursley.

He growled at the human's audacity.

Harry was startled in his embrace. Edward had to mentally calm himself. He couldn't keep following his senses if Harry was with him. Quietly, he began speaking into the little boy's ear.

"Harry, I'm sorry if I scared you. I just thought of something that got me slightly upset. I want you to know the truth if you don't mind."

The boy shifted an affirmative. His attentiveness and intensity proving how these humans deprived this innocent life. Edward got a significant wave of peace sent his way. He looked over at Jasper who gave him a strained, bare smile. This was going to be difficult.

_Edward, relax. _The voice of his brother said in his mind. _It's hard for me to concentrate as it is._

Chastened, he did his best to calm his emotions. It wouldn't do for him to overreact if they wanted things to go smoothly. He listened to the thoughts around him, surprised that Harry hadn't moved since he apologized. Then again, the boy was observant.

Mentally, he did his best to reign in his sudden need to kill the humans (excluding Harry).

_That Esme is gorgeous. I wonder what would happen if I stole her away from this Carlisle fellow. Petunia is lovely but not like this woman._ The sleazy man, Vernon, was going to pay for his now illicit thoughts. It made Edward sick. Men like the one coming through the door needed to be punished.

"Harry," the older boy stated into child's ear. "Do you remember my sister asking if you wanted to be part of a family?"

The child murmured a positive reply. Harry remembered. It had shocked him and at first he thought it wasn't possible. His dreams were coming true – someone was taking him away from the Dursleys. Someone out there had been listening to his prayers.

"Tonight, my family that means Alice and I, along with the other people in this room are going to do what we can to make sure you come with us. For now, keep quiet and still until everything is finished. Tomorrow, I'll explain everything to you." Edward explained.

"Okay." Harry replied just as Vernon, Esme and Carlisle came in. The shock was evident on the bigger human's face when he walked in to find his wife and child together.

"Wha-what the blazes is going on?" Vernon spluttered abruptly halting at the door. Carlisle pushed him through the door without a by-your-leave.

"Well, like I mentioned Vernon throughout our earlier conversation. We have a proposition to make to you. This – being – part of the bargaining process."

The tall blonde man grinned; revealing straight, pointy teeth. He gestured for Vernon to come inside even as the man's puce like skin paled to a near paper white.

"These are my children." Carlisle continued pushing the bigger man towards the fireplace where his wife and child sat. Without being prompted, he rushed over, in an attempt to shield his wife.

"Oh Vernon," Petunia whispered. "They're – they're freaks! Look, the boy is with them."

Edward growled reflectively, causing Harry to be startled in his grasp. The Dursleys quieted at the threatening noise. Esme and Carlisle took their stances near the door, close enough to Edward. Alice stepped forward even as Jasper moved in time with her. The living room had become quite crowded and cold. Harry shivered in the older boy's arms but his eyes were too focused on what was happening before him.

"Yes, now that you're home, we can begin the process." Alice said, clearly impatient. She took out from a black bag that Harry never noticed before, a brown folder. "I am Alice Cullen, an old friend of your sister Lily's."

The pixie like woman ignored Petunia's baleful stare.

"The papers in my hands detail a contract that we will make between us. They are based on the contents of the Potters' last will and testament. Unfortunately, the Potters' last wishes were disregarded the night they were murdered. It states that my family and I are the legal guardians of one Harry James Potter." There was a muffled gasp from the Dursleys. "However, due to recent events they were not honoured accordingly. We are here now to make certain that it is followed through. Are there any questions?"

Vernon and Petunia were about to protest when they suddenly quieted. Edward glanced up to look at his adoptive brother. Jasper had a quirk in his mouth.

_They were annoying me with their feelings._ The blonde thought towards Edward. _No matter how thirsty I am, they should still listen to my wife. _

Edward gave a small nod, relaxing his hold on Harry who kept clinging to him. Inwardly, the bronze-haired boy wondered how any life could stand him. They were the most perfect predators. The venom perfected their flaws (except Jasper and his many scars) and lured their prey towards them. The fact that his family lived life off of animal blood was just an added abnormality. Otherwise, humans should stay away from them. Yet the child in his arms clung – not letting go.

"Good, after that you _**will **_review the documents and then you _**will**_ sign. My father already has." Alice said giving the folder to the Dursleys' shaking fingers.

There were a few moments of silence and rustling of papers. Edward smirked as he thought of what the contract said. To summarize the papers detailed that for eleven months out of the year, Harry was a Cullen. For the month of July, they would have him in their care.

In the month that the little boy was in the Dursleys' care – they would be carefully watched and given money for any expenses incurred by him. There would be no physical contact between the Dursleys and Harry. Any person they bring into the house must be approved by the Cullens. This was to insure that the magical wards are kept up and none is the wiser, especially the magical world.

Alice, Jasper, Carlisle and himself had been researching the world the Potters came from.

From what they found (thanks to contacts both legal and shady), they found a world that was led by bigots and idiots. The people were stuck politically and mentally somewhere between the 1300s and the 1980s. They have not even made use of newer inventions. It was a place that did not have the sophistication of the world now. In fact, certain places in this world were highly unsanitary, old and junky.

Some of the wards or guard posts that they used involved blood. The wards of Number 4, Privet Drive used wards that required the bond of relatives. Harry was the blood relative of Petunia and Dudley. By taking him out forcibly, the wards would fall. The Cullens couldn't afford that. They needed secrecy.

"So, the boy will live with you eleven months of the year except for the one." Vernon began slowly.

"Yes." Carlisle replied.

There were a few moments of silence. "Darling, we'd be crazy not to sign this. They're willing to give us good money to look after the boy."

Petunia sniffed at her husband's greedy excitement. To Edward's surprise the woman's thoughts went from vicious to considering. It took all of his control not to kill the humans then and there.

"We will sign."

With those three little words, Harry became the charge of the Cullens. The little boy had fallen asleep while the Dursleys read their contract. Seconds, moments – it doesn't really matter – passed. All too soon, the ordinary house of Number 4, Privet Drive was quiet. The only ones to remain were the Dursleys astonished and unaware of how their choices had changed the future once again.

* * *

**Thomn:** The author clears her throat sheepishly. The chapter not up to par with what she had in mind. She encourages the ones who read to bear with her and relay their opinions. The good parts are coming about and the loopholes are being put together. Ah well, c'est la vie.


	5. Rule 3: Day in the Life

**Rule III: Day in the Life**

If you had asked Harry Potter what he wanted for Christmas two years ago, his answer would have surprised you. He would have said that he wanted a family.

Like Dudley. His cousin got everything from toys to hugs and kisses. His parents loved him. For a five year old, watching someone else get something and none of that returned to you no matter how hard you tried to please others. Well – that's tough and unfair.

If he could have gotten anything for Christmas back then, it would be a home. He wanted to be some place where people didn't call him freak or boy. He wanted to be where people cuddled him whenever he was scared. He wanted to be loved. Like everyone wanted to be.

If you asked Harry Potter what he wanted for Christmas now, his answer would still surprise you.

"I don't want anything Alice." Six year old Harry said with a pout. "I've got everything I've ever wanted already. Well, except for the Dursleys. Besides, I don't want to go outside. I want to work on that computer Emmett gave me."

His adoptive sister was pushing him to change. It was early on June 21, a few days before Dudley's birthday. The Cullens were getting him prepared to go on a flight back to their home in Wales. Well – Alice was.

The others were suspiciously absent. Emmett and Jasper were outside tossing a football around. He could hear them laughing. Edward was playing piano – something about a song he wanted to fine tune. Esme was with Carlisle, running errands in Forks. Rosalie was in the garage putting the newest gadgets into her corvette.

"Hush, Harry." Alice reprimanded, fixing the collar of his emerald green polo shirt. "You're going to be away from us for the entire month of July. I want to make sure you get something today in Port Angeles to remind you of us. Besides, that computer isn't going any where."

Scrutinizing the child in front of her, the pixie-like woman nodded. He looked presentable with his polo shirt, beige flat-front khaki pants, slip-on brown leather boots, brown leather belt and brown canvas driver hat. The child's look was completed with a brown messenger bag with emerald green details.

"Alice," Harry whined. "It's too cold! Besides, this outfit makes me look like I'm a pre-schooler. I'm six not five."

Indeed he wasn't the scrawny five-year-old any more.

The little boy had grown up since the Cullens took him in. The first three months had been tense with the Cullens wondering if this was really the best course of action. By the time Christmas came around, they all had become quite comfortable around each other. This was aided by an incident during American Thanksgiving.

_

* * *

_

_It had happened so fast. _

_Emmett and Rosalie were helping Esme and Carlisle cook the meal. They had a television show going teaching them all how to make roast turkey and other "traditional meals" to serve to Harry. The little boy had found out about what they were by accident. _

_He had been looking for Edward when he heard Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper talk about hunting. At first he thought it would be with guns. Then said something about who could outrun Edward while getting a cougar. From their tones, Harry knew they were serious. _

_Once they sensed he was near, they immediately asked him what he heard. He heard the bit about the cougar and asked them if they could really do that. Alice walked into the room and four out of the seven Cullens revealed their real nature to the lad. _

_Harry's reaction surprised the Cullens. _

_He had nodded in his thoughtful way before asking Alice to draw with him. It had initially shocked the family that the child could be so nonchalant. Upon being asked why he wasn't scared, Harry explained simply that they kept talking about eating people when the first came into his life. He knew that they were different. _

_That was that. _

_Besides, he said, they were cooler than the vampires he had heard about from Dudley or other scary movies. The fact he wasn't scared confused the Cullens (excluding Alice and Edward) to no end. All he was terrified of was being sent back to the Dursleys. _

_Since there was not much for Harry to do he stuck around Alice and Jasper. Edward was heading back from Alaska after checking up on this guy named Charlie. The couple were telling him about the American traditions. With the boy's British background, he was surprised about the celebration. _

"_So that's why it's called Thanksgiving Harry." Jasper said with a strained smile. He had gone over the history with difficulty. He had been fighting his thirst daily since Harry came into their lives. _

"_Hm," Harry mused thoughtfully. "It's like the Harvest Festival in Britain – just different." _

_Jasper frowned never hearing about it. "Well like I said, Thanksgiving is a harvest feast or festival. We celebrate the farms bringing in food and being thankful for life in general." _

_Harry grinned. "Okay. I get it now, I think. Can I see your book Jasper?" _

"_Which book?" _

"_Can I see the one with all the funny pictures that move?" Harry asked. _

_The pair was sitting at Jasper's table, the desk between them. Alice sat beside Harry working on a few fashion pieces. The girl loved clothes, design and other artistic things. She danced, laughed and was so light on her feet. _

"_Here you go," Jasper stiffly, handing a book from one of the Wizarding stores they'd bought it from when they were visited by their Wizarding lawyer. It was a book called__** Tales of Beedle the Bard**__. Apparently, the stories were legends to those from magical backgrounds. "Be careful." _

"_I will." Harry replied but flinched when he got a paper cut on his finger. _

_Seconds later, Jasper nearly had him in a death grasp, only to find Harry made of marble. It was seconds after that when Emmett had the blonde vampire in a headlock. Alice and Rosalie were struggling to calm him down. Carlisle and Esme were with Harry who was in shock. _

_The little boy's skin was still like marble. _

_Jasper had beaten himself over the incident. He ran out of the house with Emmett, Rosalie and Alice chasing after him. The parents of the house made certain Harry was okay. They weren't sure how he had taken to the recent events. _

_Esme and Carlisle did the best they could to make sure he was okay. He told them he was. Then he grinned and said – "now I'm as hard as rock as you guys". _

_Surprisingly, a couple of hours later the four missing Cullens came back. Harry was waiting for them. Harry nearly pounced on Jasper. The blonde growled a warning that though it scared the little boy didn't deter him. _

"_Jasper," The little boy cried. "You're still my friend right?" _

* * *

Alice smiled at the memories.

The entire family grew closer after that. By the time Edward came home, a bit worried but not overly much – he was surprised at the closeness Jasper and Harry developed. No one commented on the marble skin. Well Emmett did once, twice – okay for the past few months afterwards he did. The little boy just shrugged. He kept the skin around Jasper knowing it helped.

Everyone knew it was magic. Everyone had expected it somehow.

"Esme," Harry cried upon seeing the caramel haired woman coming up the stairs. His room was wide open so when he saw her familiar head, he rushed over to her. She was carrying a couple of boxes that held photo albums. "You're back! Please save me!"

"Harry James Potter!" Alice exclaimed. "Stop doing that. Shopping isn't that bad. Neither is going outside."

Harry gave her a look.

Esme chuckled with a shake of her head. "Hello, my dears. I just got back from Forks with Carlisle. He's at the hospital now. Are you ready for your trip to Port Angeles?"

"We're just about ready if someone would cooperate."

"Alice is making me go! Esme please stop her!"

"I am not making you do anything Harry! You're going because it will get you out of the house." Alice huffed.

"But I like the house! There's so much more stuff I want to make before I go. Plus I have that broken computer to figure out. Then there's the packing..." Harry whined.

Esme shook her head. "Alice he looks wonderful. Harry, calm down please. That computer isn't leaving. Besides, you're still too young to work on it. Let the others help you out with that later. As for the packing, you know that's not an issue. We've already got you things in Wales to wear. You know you only need your backpack. Your sister is doing what's best. For now, enjoy the day – it's good out right now."

Harry pouted. "It's good for you guys. It looks like it's going to rain. It's always wet out. If you were playing baseball then I'd go shopping."

There was a moment as the two vampire women looked down at Harry. They had to take a moment to hide their awe at his cuteness. The child was going to be a bigger hellion when he grows older. He got away with so much already. It was a good thing the Cullens had decided to home-school the lad. All the girls and teachers in his class would have been fawning for him. He was such a cute and good little boy. Except on days when he had to shop or go out when "it looks like it's going to rain". Harry – they all realized – disliked bad weather very much.

They figured it had to have something to do with that night when his parents died.

"Hm, Alice," Esme murmured. "Do you think we could all play baseball this afternoon when you get back?"

There was a pause. Harry looked up at his sister and his mother. They wouldn't…

"I think that will work." Alice replied coming out of her trance. "It will be a good time to play and Harry, you'll get a kick out of it."

Harry's face-faulted. They did. As much as he loved watching his family play baseball – he was certain his sister was only saying it would be okay because she wanted him to go.

"Perfect. Harry you spend too much time cooped up in your room. Go to Port Angeles today and when you come back we'll play baseball." Esme said with a smile.

The little boy couldn't help but stare. Even his mother wanted him out of the house. What was this world coming too? He watched as Esme made her way to his room (beside Edward's). She was renovating again. He guessed that she wanted to make sure that things in Forks were set as were things in Wales.

A year from now, Harry would be eight. He was growing up so fast that Esme felt like she had no time with him. Or so she said.

From Esme's point of view, it was true. Already Harry was like a young gentleman. Since he spent a great deal of time with Edward and Jasper, he took on more of their mannerisms. Opening doors that were far bigger than he was whenever they went out, especially for the girls. He waited until every girl sat before sitting down. It was clear – the child had grown up adult.

Well, he had fun because he was surrounded by eternal teenagers – Esme rolled her eyes at that. He just did things differently. Her human boy was never going to be normal. Ah well, living with vampires _**would be**_ considered strange.

"See," Alice said triumphantly. "You have no choice but to go."

"Okay, okay." Harry sighed, shifting the messenger back around his shoulders.

The pixie-like woman smirked. "Good. There are so many things to do!" She began listing all the things she needed to buy as they walked down the stairs. There was a slight pause as they reached half way down.

Harry looked at his adoptive sister suspiciously. At his age he'd gotten quite good reading the reactions of people around him. He also figured that Alice had an uncanny ability to see things before it happened. Edward and Jasper had gifts too. He just wasn't sure what. No one told him that yet. They said they would tell him when he was nine or ten.

"Alice, aren't we going?" Harry asked resolved.

She came out of a mini-trance with a ghost of a smile on her face. "Yes, Harry. I just saw something weird."

"You always see something weird." Harry retorted.

"Behave."

"Sorry."

"You're forgiven."

"Good."

"You're a rascal, Harry. You're a little rascal."

"Am I really?" Harry asked looking up at his sister. "Like Alfalfa?"

Alice groaned. She knew that Emmett shouldn't have shown the impressionable human boy those old sitcoms. He'd get his vocabulary mixed up.

"No Harry." She replied with a sniff. "You're much better than Alfalfa."

"You're right; I'm more like Porky – smart."

Alice suppressed a sigh. "I think you hang out with us too much. You need to hang out with kids your age."

Everyone froze in and outside the house. The pixie-like woman knew that they did. The trip to Port Angeles had nothing really to do with Harry buying things (although that was the cover story). Edward was at the bottom of the stairs before the little boy reached the last step.

He looked annoyed.

Harry knew it wasn't him but every time his adoptive brother made that face. It scared him regardless. Why were vampires so scary? He knew that they could attack him at any given moment. Maybe that's why he hardened his skin so it didn't hurt the others as much when they rough-housed. Still, Edward's looks were mighty impressive.

"Sorry Harry," his brother said barely glancing at him. "It's just your sister here is making comments and thinking things that don't coincide."

"What does coincide mean?" Harry asked, uncertain of the word. He was smart but _**he was**_ only six.

"It means," Alice responded before Edward. "Your brother can't keep out of other people's thoughts when it doesn't concern him. Come on, there's so much to do today."

"This isn't over Alice." Edward hissed into her ear as they made their way to the garage.

"I know." She giggled. "I know."

Harry having grown up with them shrugged it aside. Alice and Edward were always cryptic. Well at least now he knew what coincide meant.

"No Harry," Edward murmured. "Coincide doesn't mean what Alice says it is. It actually means for things to be together at the same time and same place. Your older sister is saying something and thinking or doing something that isn't the same."

"Oh, okay." Harry nodded.

They got into Edward's Volvo and headed for town. For the one in the passenger seat beside Edward, today was going to be more exciting than even getting Harry from the Dursleys.

* * *

**THOMN:** There, the author grinned wildly. The third chapter was finished and the fourth and fifth chapters were in development. She accomplished so much and she only just put up the second major chapter just a day or so ago. She reclined in her chair. Life was good! Now she needed to tie her loopholes. Already there were so many fill in the blanks. Then again - the story was telling itself. She was just the lucky person to write it all out. She noticed that the chapters were exceedingly getting longer. Perfect! By the time the fifth or sixth chapter came out she'd be writing ten pages to twenty pages per chapter.

There was a crack of lightning outside her window. The night had become like her mind. Wild, furious and filled with plot bunnies ready to be slain. Soon manic laughter filled the air. All she needed was encouragement and the insanity would continue.


	6. Rule 4: To Make A Friend

**Rule IV: To Make A Friend**

Harry was quite put out.

They had arrived in Port Angeles forty-five minutes after leaving Forks. Edward had gone at his break-neck speed (taking into consideration human laws…) but had been talking to Alice the whole time. The thing about vampires – you can't hear them when they talk super fast. He wished he was one so he could figure out what they were saying.

He knew it was about him.

It got worse when Edward dropped him and Alice on 1st Street at Swain's. He had glared at Alice before speeding off. Taking his hand, Harry's sister didn't say much except have a funny smile on her face.

"Alice, why were you and Edward arguing?" He asked swinging their intertwined fingers as they walked through the store.

"Pardon, Harry? Hm, yes this will work wonderfully." Alice said happily skipping through the clothing aisles. Harry rolled his eyes. His sister was doing that on purpose.

"Why do I have to go back to the Dursleys?" He asked again.

"You're so full of questions today Harry." Alice said with a soft smile. She found another green shirt she liked and gave a quick glance at her adoptive brother. "What do you think? Green suits you, so does red."

She paused watching his eyes before nodding. She put the red shirt into their cart. Harry sighed. Even when Alice asked him a question – she already seemed to know what he was going to decide. Playing with the sides of the metal basket he waited for what seemed like forever.

He hated shopping.

If she was given a choice – Alice would do more than shop in Port Angeles. She would probably have wanted to bring him to New York, LA or somewhere fashionable. Of course they'd do it either at night or on a really cloudy day. He made a face. He could never understand his sibling's great like for clothing.

Computers and electronics on the other hand…which reminded him that Swain's had an electronic department. It was small but it would do. He watched impatiently has Alice steered him and the cart around the store before finally –

"ALICE!" He cried.

The mother load of computer systems was running before him. The newest PC and Apple computers were shiny in their sleek black and white plastic shininess. Not to mention the whole rack of games off to one side.

Alice looked at her adoptive brother with a smirk. She could almost see the drool on his little face. She sighed, it was inevitable. The little boy had an affinity for technology. That wasn't going to change any time soon.

Her adoptive brother had more than enough toys to play with. Besides – it would take a couple or so more years before Harry could get the schematics of computers down. It would be another three before he got into computer programming. Alice rubbed the side of her head of an imaginary headache. If only she had her way…

A few months ago, Emmett and Rosalie had brought Harry into the shop area of the garage. It was here that the little boy took to mechanics. A couple months after that he was dropped off at the Dursleys (for the first time). He began playing around with Dudley's broken computer – but couldn't get it working – much to his dismay. Since then he'd been fascinated with electronics and fixing things.

It was a shame since she really liked dressing Harry up. Well, she'd give him ten minutes before they would leave…

"Harry we're ready to go!" She exclaimed perkily. "Edward's on his way but we may have to wait somewhere for a bit. We can look at computers when we get into England."

Okay so maybe that was partially a lie.

"Alice, couldn't we stay a few more minutes?" Harry asked a slight whine in his voice.

"No way Mister," she replied lightly. "Let's go wait at Roosevelt School. You can play at the playground over there."

He followed her to the cashier who gave one look at them with a bit of awe. Well he, the older man with a balding grey head was pretty much gaping at Alice while he swiped their items through. Harry rolled his eyes. Vampires were naturally attractive to humans. Oh, and dangerous.

They exited out of Swain's with a couple of bags. Heading east they walked down the narrow stretch of road towards the school.

"You're so mean Lissy." Harry muttered using his special nickname for his adoptive sister. He scowled when she lightly pinched his cheek.

"Get over it Harry James Potter. Now hold my hand, we're crossing the street." Alice replied. She couldn't help but giggle at his bad temper.

"Lissy," Harry continued. "Do I have to go with the Dursleys?"

The pixie like vampire sighed with a nod. "It is part of an agreement we had with them."

"But my home is with you guys." He said. "Why can't I stay where I'm home?"

"I'm sorry Harry bear, I can't say." Alice replied gently. Harry could only pout in frustration. Adults were always so good at keeping things away from him. He usually had to piece everything together on his own. They reached the school park within five minutes of leaving Swain's. In that time span – no more questions could be asked. The moment the little boy saw the swings, slide and monkey bars…

"You'll be careful." Alice muttered to herself unnecessarily. Harry let go of her hand to play. Standing aloof she froze as her visions came to the forefront.

_A little girl with dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes would be coming by. She'd be clutching to her mother's hand. While Harry is playing I will be taking a - - - _

There was a buzz in her pocket. Knowing precisely what to do – Alice picked it up and turned away. Her visions showed her what she needed to know. She could not interfere if the two kids would become friends. It would ruin everything.

"Alice," hissed Edward. "What do you mean about that little girl? So what if Harry makes a friend?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her brother was so nosy! "Leave it alone Edward."

"If there are any more humans other than Harry – heavens above – we've already broken more rules than we should have!"

"I understand Edward." Alice stated feeling slightly annoyed. "I'm just worried that Harry's going to grow up without having at least one human friend. It's great he is with us at the same time…it would be foolish to not have him with others his age!"

Her light Mississippian accent was coming out thick now as she spoke. It sometimes happened when she was stressed.

"The girl Alice – I'm talking about the girl." He stated.

"She's only seven now." Alice replied. "She's hardly dangerous. Besides she is going back to Arizona tomorrow. She's only here for a couple of days with her mother."

"I see what you're doing." Edward said through clenched teeth. "I'm going to be there in a few minutes."

"You don't have to worry about her." The pixie-like vampire assured. "She's not a threat. She's just important."

There was a frustrated sigh. "I will find out."

"Stop trying to change the inevitable." Alice retorted. "Just enjoy the day and the time we have for Harry. He'll be going to school in another four years. We'll have plenty of things to face along the way."

There was a moment of silence. Then it came.

_"Curse it Remus," spluttered a man with long black and scraggly hair. His gray eyes flashed as he stared after his worn out best friend. "I thought the full moon affected all of you and you wouldn't have your mind sane enough to break us free." _

_They had just swum miles and miles of freezing water. In fact, they did more than swim. They broke out of Azkaban. All this they did under the light of full moon. It was morning now with stray rays of sun reaching two worn out men. They had washed upon the shore with the wolf returning to his human form. Albeit, naked and shivering with cold. _

_"At least we're alive." The other man stuttered. "We need to get some place warm Sirius. Else we won't make it." _

_"Yes well, you both won't in the states you're in." I said with lilting amusement. _

The spiky haired woman grinned. Perfect, we'd have more humans. Well, sort of.

"You mean to help the child of the moon and the dog man?" Edward asked, switching topics for now.

_Ha, good – stop trying to look into my head. You know my visions are only certain depending on the choices people make._

There was a growl of frustration on the other line. Alice replied. "Yes them. They'll be breaking free soon."

Edward cursed. "Well, how soon?"

"It's too blurry. I think it may be tonight or tomorrow."

"You won't have time if that is to happen."

"Yes I know."

"Alice," Edward growled. "Do you happen to have a plan?"

Of course I have a plan. You won't like it but it will work.

The pair was silent while Alice listened for Harry's voice and the girl's. For a few moments she savored the quiet spring day. She would need all the peace she could get between her brother's temper, Jasper's disapproval and her 'helping-fate-along' syndrome.

"I'm nearing the school in the next few seconds. It'll give Harry enough time to finish what he's doing." Edward stated with a sigh.

"Perfect. Esme is going to be calling you about the game. She's already told the others." Alice replied.

"Fine, see you both in a few." Her brother snapped off the other line just as Harry bounded up to her.

"Lissy, do you have pen and paper?" The little boy asked looking up at her hopefully. Prepared for the occasion, she gave the items to him.

"Do you need any help?" She asked more out of courtesy than really wanting to.

"Nope and you know it." Harry replied before running away to his new friend. From a distance she could already see the little girl looking towards them with wide, curious eyes.

_She was older. She now looked pale, slender with the same doe-eyed expression and chocolate brown eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pony tail tucked beneath a non-descript blue baseball cap worn at the edges. She sighed as she felt the weight of her backpack and duffle. She searched the area before her eyes landed to a dejected bench. The kinds you see at a bus stop. She made her way warily there, dropping her duffle on the seat. _

_Despite her mother and Phil's protests, she had decided to take the bus instead of flying. Although she preferred the latter for journeys over larger distances, it was too expensive with her little resources. She wanted to be as independent as possible regarding this decision. She didn't want to depend so much on her mom and Phil any more. They needed time to be happy for once. Besides, the thought of palm trees, sand beneath her toes and hurricanes in Florida didn't really appeal to her. The cold and wet weather of Washington didn't either. _

_The girl was coming into Seattle for the first time in a long while. She knew her father wasn't going to be in the state. She wondered if she should visit Forks, especially the Blacks she remembered her dad mentioning in one of his faraway letters. Jacob had been the same little kid she had made mud-pies with after all. Thinking about her dad distressed her. He'd stopped writing nearly ten years ago when he disappeared. She knew he was still alive but looking for him could wait another year. For now she needed some place quiet and stable. _

_The girl opened her backpack, rummaging through it. She pulled out a brown leather book (the kind you see in old Westerns) and silver cased cell phone. She opened the book up to a marked up page before punching buttons on her phone. _

"_Hello?" _

"_Hi, is this the Corwin residence?" _

"_Yes…" _

"_I'm an old friend of Harry's. Would he happen to be there?" _

There was a break in the vision as it grew fuzzy. Alice looked up to see Harry walk towards her. The playground was empty excluding a few seagulls. She smiled at the little boy in front of her who pocketed a piece of paper into his messenger bag. The little girl went to grip her mother's hand.

"Well kiddo," The pixie-like vampire stated. "How was it?"

Harry shrugged. "Fun, I made a new friend."

"That's good." She nodded. "What's her name?"

She never did get a response. The sound of a sound of car and a rolling down of a window distracted Harry from answering the question. "EDWARD!"

_Bravo on your excellent timing dear brother_. Alice thought with a smirk.

"Come on you two, Esme wants to get started with baseball and has proclaimed we can't do it without you Harry." He said with a smug smirk.

Well, there would be time enough for her to look into the future later. Alice grinned looking at her brother's look of frustration. Edward growled.

Today just keeps getting better.

On the other hand, Harry was quite happy to be within the confines of his brother's Volvo. The warm heat of the car encased him like a blanket and hot chocolate. Up front his favorite brother chuckled then grinned.

"Are you buckled up back there?"

"Yeah I am, Edward." Harry replied. "Oh, and please don't leave me with Alice next time she decides to go shopping. She doesn't stop at the computers or games like you and the others."

"Would you believe the cheek of this kid." Alice growled up front. "At least you made a friend."

"It's pretty cool. She doesn't have any brother or sisters like I do so I didn't mind. She seems quite lonely and sad. I think I'll write to her tonight or something. That way when she gets back, she can have a letter to open in a couple of days." The little boy mused.

"Sounds like a good plan Harry." Edward nodded.

"Yep," The little boy nodded. He paused remembering a faraway lesson. "Sorry, I mean yes."

The older "teens" chuckled as they made their way home. They drifted into companionable silence.

The little boy could tell by looking at his brother and sister that they would be sharing quite a few words. He shrugged. He needed to figure out what to say to his new friend. What did one say in letters?

He still needed some help forming his words and such. He wasn't that good yet. He was certain his new friend could figure out what he wanted to say if he drew her something. Yeah...drawing would work. As he thought this over, the little boy of seven fell asleep. In some ways, today had been a bit exciting.

In other ways it would just begin.

* * *

It was dark.

It was cold too.

Wet.

He heard screams.

He didn't like it.

Yet here he was.

Of course, he was innocent. No one knew that though. Well, except his canine brother.

Besides, who could believe a man cursed by the moon? To them - he was just a beast. He had no mind. Then again, being here, in this place for murderers, liars, thieves and all the repulsive trash of society would drive him from sanity.

He growled, clutching his head with his hands. How could things go so terribly wrong?

Peter. It was that entire rat's fault! If only there was proof left for him.

Then there was Harry.

He could faintly remember the child.

He saw wild, black hair.

He saw a baby's smile.

He felt peace.

Escape.

He would escape.

He'd find his brother too.

Together they would find Harry.

Their sweet, precious boy-cub would be found.

Then, they'd take him away.

They would not let him come back.

He would not be what this world wanted.

No, he would be ... just Harry. He would grow up with choices. He wouldn't fall. They would teach him for battle and war. They would love him. They would train him to be a good man.

They would teach him how to be a _**better**_ man.

There was a flash and a change as moonlight struck him. Pain seized him, forcing to wriggle and scream. His voice drowned out the other voices of insanity in the cold, dark cages of Azkaban. In place of a man was a wolf.

This night, the wolf would escape.

So would a man who could shift into a dog.

Then vengeance would descend upon the world like a plague.

* * *

**THOMN:** The author apologizes for the insanity and is quite pleased by the reviews. Many thanks and apologies for such a late update.


	7. Rule 5: Plan and Demand

**Rule V: Plans and Demands**

_The night of October 31, 1989 was terrible for more than the death of the Potters._

_The odd thing about fate is how it changes when choices are made. You see, after meeting the Cullens, the Potters had gotten things rolling that would not have happened otherwise. Something also occurs when vengeance takes control and good common sense is overridden. On that horrific eve, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin confronted their once good friend Peter Pettigrew._

_For nearly a year, their "friend" had fooled them all into thinking each other was the enemy. No one suspected "poor, defenceless Peter Pettigrew". This had caused a gap in relationships. Sirius originally had been a secret keeper to the Potters. He was responsible for keeping his best friend safe. At the last possible moment, he switched being a secret keeper with Peter._

_Remus found out through his work in the Order what Peter was doing accidentally. He was going to tell the Potters and Sirius but it was too late. When his best friend and his wife died – chaos broke loose. The duo battled with their once best friend in the middle of a street filled with innocent bystanders. They would have taken him down if it weren't for Peter's swift cunning and fear._

_Hours later, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were shoved into the Wizarding prison of Azkaban without trial. This is the truth of the matter. For the past six years they had stayed there. These men were innocent, broken and seemingly without hope._

*

It was already dark.

"Do I have to go to bed?" Harry whined as he climbed into his Spiderman bed sheets.

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other and chuckled. As usual, their adoptive human son loathed going to bed when he knew everyone else didn't need to.

"Of course you do." Esme replied gently, pulling up the comforter to his chin. "How else can you grow up naturally big and strong?"

"Like Emmett?" Harry asked hopefully.

Carlisle grinned. "Yes, like Emmett."

The trio heard a loud whoop from downstairs then a sharp, quick crack. "Harry's trying to sleep."

"Baby you don't need to hit me."

The little boy in bed rolled his eyes and smiled sleepily. "Rose hit Emmett again; I wish I could have seen it."

The vampire parents looked at each other repressing their amusement. It had been a long day for their family. When Harry came home, he had had a quick snack before everyone prepared for the game. Since he was so small and very fragile still – he'd helped Esme referee. He'd been delighted watching the others play until it started raining heavily. Jasper, Alice and Carlisle had won fair and square. Edward, Emmett and Rosalie were a close second.

That was hours ago.

After the game, everyone came home. Harry had his supper, brushed his teeth, read one of his Spiderman comics and started his letter to his new friend. After that, the boys (Emmett, Jasper and Edward) got together with him to work on the broken computer.

The little boy learned different terms and functions of computer pieces. He found out that the computer was technically not broken, it was missing a drive. Since it was still a little bit too complex– Edward promised to help him figure it out when he got back from England.

Harry thought that would be too long. By that time, his family (excluding Emmett and Rosalie) would be packing the family away from Washington to move to Nova Scotia in Canada. Since he could remember – the family had always moved around to different homes and places. Sometimes they stayed in certain places for a month, sometimes two but never more than three. The place they stayed in the longest was in Forks. Carlisle had gotten a permanent residence there that would overgrow over the years but was hidden from prying eyes. They only ever went back to an area after a few years had passed so that they could be forgotten from the minds of the people.

Whenever they went into Port Angeles or Forks - it was rare. Carlisle himself was posing as a young medical doctor fresh out of University with his wife and their "cousins" who visited once in a while. Since the towns were small enough that the people could recognize them quite easily. The trip Alice and Edward made with Harry had to be quick (an hour altogether including the meeting at the playground). The less they came out - the more people wouldn't recognize them. Something about secrecy, vampires and other stuff the little boy couldn't quite understand.

Harry just quit bothering to think on it. It was just confusing to keep track of anyway. All he could believe was that he'd be leaving his family in a matter of days.

It was nearing eight-thirty when the little boy felt rather sleepy. Reaching out for Esme's hand, he cuddled her hand next to a hardened cheek. His adoptive mother kept quite still, watching as the child turned his skin to granite. Carlisle touched his wife's shoulder gently. He knew that it had been tough for her when she had lost her biological son to sickness when she'd been human. Watching, living, teaching and just being with Harry had given her peace.

"He's asleep." Esme said softly knowing other members of the house heard. "He is so young. We're risking so much for him being here."

There was silence as thoughts raced through her mind. It was dangerous having six vampires capable of losing control around a human child. It was like having water in a desert wasteland but not taking it because of fear of losing it. However, the past few months had given the more volatile Cullens a challenge in immunity. One they all undertook and dealt with in different ways whenever Harry's scent got too much.

"He's part of our family now." The blond doctor whispered, kissing her temple.

"His growth really amazes me." Esme replied in kind. Her adoptive son just sighed against her hand.

"Come love, we're needed downstairs." Carlisle murmured.

The deep, even breathing Harry had against Esme's hand clearly indicated he was asleep. The couple gently left him there with soft, cool kisses on his forehead.

Esme sighed.

They would protect him as best as they could. The child was theirs. He needed them, especially against horrible relatives, creatures like themselves and more. The caramel haired vampire squeezed her husband's hand.

Years were nothing to the Cullens but with Harry in their home, time was catching up with them. They walked stealthily away from the room and down the stairs in seconds. It would be a difficult month away from him while he was at the Dursleys.

By the time the surrogate mother and father of the Cullens arrived, their eternal 'children' were in a state of disagreement.

"We can't help them if they're going to be a threat Alice." Emmett said looking at the younger woman with a frown on his usually happy face.

"They're not." She replied.

"It's dangerous around us as it is. Harry doesn't need the added trouble!" Rosalie stated.

The Cullen parents looked at each other. Their amber eyes glowed in mutual concern. While Harry was getting dressed for bed, Alice had gathered the rest of the family to let them know of a vision she had while at Roosevelt playground.

It regarded the escape of one Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Two men linked to James Potter and his two best friends. Prior to the game, Alice had told Jasper of what they may need to do before their family reached England. She also told him why.

"We don't have much time to argue this." Alice said frustrated. She felt a wave of peace hit her and she leaned against Jasper to soothe her fraying nerves.

"Alice," Esme spoke up as she listened to them. "I know the two men you mentioned are innocent according to your visions. Will the child of the moon be a problem?"

"No Esme, he shouldn't be a problem. We're just going to need a lot of caves with plenty of places for him to scratch at. Oh, and maybe some game. The only difficulty is the moon-child is harder for me to see – it's all very fuzzy." Alice said slightly annoyed. Her husband placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.

_Will we have to house them in our home? _Carlisle thought more than asked watching his children with fatherly concern. It wasn't that it would be dangerous for them (Vampires) to keep track of the moon-child or the shape-shifter. However, it would be if Harry's around.

"No Carlisle. We could bring them to Chicago to live at my parent's house. There should be enough room." Edward replied looking into his sister's visions.

Alice looked to her adoptive brother gratefully. "The main thing is – if we don't help them out – there would be more difficulties in the future than we really need. This would be minimizing those problems more effectively."

"When we looked into the Wizarding world," Jasper interjected. "The American side is a bit more influenced through the times when we fought for independence. The Magical British Ministry still hasn't looked at North America fondly. They're still locked in a Victorian era mind-set. It would be quite easy for us to keep them here on our side with fake ID than over there. Plus they'd be harder to track."

Carlisle firmed his lips. "The issue though is the child of the moon."

There was another tense silence. Alice broke it with a grin. "We may not have to worry too much about the cave system in the future if we can get a hold of it. There's a potion that was recently invented that could help with that issue. It would help keep that one sane."

"Really," Her adoptive father mused. "There are potions to keep moon-children sane?"

She nodded. That alone ended the argument. The moment the good doctor got excited about any new medical discovery, his obsession peaked. That said, even going against the pixie-like clairvoyant was moot to begin with. Especially, when she saw something and was very certain where the future would go. The rest of the family sighed unnecessarily.

"When are they breaking free?" Rosalie asked with her arms crossed.

"They're out tomorrow at midnight. I still can't get a clear picture though. Nevertheless, we'll need to meet them somewhere in Norway at around two or three in the morning since they'll be swimming to shore." Alice sighed, Edward nodded when his siblings looked to him to confirm.

"Damn," Emmett growled. "That's nearly a full day's flight clear across the Atlantic. You'd have to leave tonight."

Alice nodded. "We could or reach our magical contact."

Everyone grinned. Their mutual contact G.A. Harvester had been a tough find. She hid her uniquely criminal actions in plain sight. By day she worked as a paralegal within a busy non-magical law firm in (ironically or not) Salem, Massachusetts. Though she abided by the non-magical laws, it pleased her greatly to go against the legislation placed down by the American Confederation of Witches and Wizards. The woman had an odd vendetta against the ACWW. No matter her eccentricities, she'd helped the Cullens get integrated into the magical world quickly with recommendations of who to contact in Europe.

"She could get us a port-key and we'd be there faster than any plane." The pixie-like vampire said with a nod.

Everyone mused on her words. Part of their research included transportation. Edward wasn't fond of the whole port-key and backwards forms of travel. As useful as they would be, they only worked for them if they had a wizard along for the ride. No one liked the floo network either once they realized it used fire.

"That's chancy Alice," Esme said with a firm set of her lips.

"She'll do it." The pixie-like woman said with a smile. "I'm ninety percent sure. She's the sort who'll do it for both the money and curiosity."

"Fantastic." Rosalie growled. "At least the magical world is also under pressure to stay secret."

The only reason she was against this whole ordeal was the hard work the Cullens had of keeping Harry secret. It didn't help that in the past few months there were a few times a couple of them had slip ups around the humans. That's why they didn't stay in a place for more than necessary. They kept their visits to Forks rare and brief. They made updated their contract with the Quileute tribe and usually left within a month or two. Since it was one of their more favourite places to frequent it would be a major loss to give it up.

"So it has to be done as soon as possible?" Esme asked quietly interrupting Rosalie's thoughts.

"Yes along with papers for them to use. They need new identities and other items. All of which we can do ourselves at least in the non-magical way." Alice replied.

"We are giving so much for humans. We only need Harry and that's all. Any more would be like punishing us and it's harder for some of us as it is." Rosalie stated with a frown. "Give me a clear answer why we should help these moon-children and shape-shifters?"

"Rose," Carlisle said sternly. "There are worse things. However it's true. Will them coming interfere with our preparations to go to England and Nova Scotia. Alice?"

"The move to Nova Scotia will go alright, so will the preparations we made for England." Alice said with a nod. "Even if it was just Edward, the witch and I, we'll be fine. They'd accept _**any**_ help if we only mention Harry."

There was quiet as they listened to Alice's explanation. It was complicated, stupid, dangerous and above all risky. They all had taken a chance with Harry around. Since no one could argue any more and it looked like minds were made up.

All Carlisle had to do was nod. "So what is your first step?"

The clairvoyant, mind-reader and empath of the family looked at each other. They shared a few unspoken words much to the chagrin of certain family members.

"I hate it when you all do this." Emmett muttered while his wife looked at her perfect finger nails.

"Edward and I will go to Chicago to prepare the house. From there we'll both head to Boston, pick up the witch and the port-keys. She'll have to come along since we can't use them without someone magical along for the ride." Alice grimaced. "Jasper will have to take care of the extralegal documentation and potion for you Carlisle. I don't know if vampires are allowed to brew that stuff though so just to warn you."

Her adoptive father nodded thoughtfully bringing Esme closer to his side.

"What about the rest of us?" Rosalie asked, finished with her nail inspection. "There's no point of us being here if we don't have a part." She glared at Edward to _shut up_ when he chuckled at her direction.

Alice paused to check the visions ahead. "We need you all to stay for Harry."

Her adoptive sister growled with a scowl on her perfect face. "Fine but I still don't think he needs to socialize more. He's fine with us."

"He's going to need to be around kids his age. He'll be going away for months on end in a British boarding school. We need to prepare him for that much interaction." Edward replied.

"Sorry Rose, I'm going to have to agree. Even though he's good learning with us, too much isolation from the outside world will stunt his social growth." Esme mused.

"There's nothing wrong with having us around Mom." Rosalie scoffed, fluffing her hair. "I just don't see the point of helping more humans, if you can call them that, when we already have Harry."

There was an awkward tension in the air with Alice mentally rolling her eyes. "You can get on my case about this later." She said. "For now, we need to hurry if we're going to pull this off. I just got a snapshot of the dog-man getting the same idea as the child of the moon."

The two vampire women looked at each other before the blonde shrugged her shoulder dismissively. "Like I said, fine, just as long as everything else we planned goes well I don't care."

"Alice this better work," Emmett muttered as he held his wife closer to him.

"Or what will you do big brother?" Alice asked with a giggle.

"Want to bet on that?" Jasper interjected at the same time as his wife. Everyone looked at each other with mutual looks of interest.

Emmett smirked ferociously. "How much are you willing to lose?"

"I bet a thousand."

"Fine, I'll bet the same." Emmett grinned.

The female vampires laughed with the bigger vampire earning a swat on the behind from his wife.

"You better make back that thousand monkey-man." Rosalie snapped before kissing him full on the lips.

Various reactions to their physical display ranged from groans of disgust to chuckles of amusement. These actions alone broke some of the tension before everyone launched into what they all had to do.

*

Jasper tapped his phone impatiently as he paced to and fro beside his wife. They were both on the third floor 'library' where they would get some privacy to do what they needed. It was also the only place that Harry wasn't allowed to enter due to the nature and purpose of the room itself.

There were plenty of items (weapons) and files that weren't fit for their little boy's eyes. Alice was simply using the computers to print hers and Edward's flight tickets since her husband wouldn't be able to follow her. He had to be around to make certain he spoke with his other contacts in Seattle and Los Angeles regarding other details to hide escaped prisoners.

"Harvester," replied the voice on the other line after the second ring. "State your name and business."

"It's Jasper. I need three port-keys; one for Stavanger in Norway, one for Boston and the other for Acacia Cemetery in Seattle before twenty-four hundred hours tomorrow. I also need two apparating licenses within the week." He replied.

There was silence on the other line. "The licenses can be done, I need pictures and what you want the documents to read. As for the port-keys, they may be a bit more difficult. Your kind can't use magical means to get around without someone magical."

"We will pay a handsome price for your time." Jasper replied. "Let's say ten thousand Galleons for the entire work involved."

Alice giggled, looking up at her husband after a second of being in a trance. Her equally charming smile came with a quirk of her eyebrow. Her husband rubbed her left shoulder gently letting the witch on the other line splutter an affirmative.

"We will meet you in Boston at twenty-four hours and thirty minutes at Bunker Hill Cemetery. The pictures themselves you can get when you come with us. As for the information on the licenses, the names are Steven Corwin and Nathan Streak. They are both aged twenty-seven. Steven is 6'2 with black hair and grey-blue eyes. Nathan is 6'1 with light brown hair and hazel eyes. I'm certain you can accomplish the rest." Jasper commanded.

"Uh…yes Mr. Jasper. I'll get them to you right away." Harvester replied breathless.

"Good, I'm certain your work will be that of the highest quality possible. If not, there will be repercussions."

"Uh, yes sir."

He didn't say anything more as he snapped the phone shut. "That's done. I'll talk to Jenks and make sure we get those humans non-magical identification while they are here."

His wife nodded, snatching the tickets for herself and Edward from the printer. She briefly saw that her brother had gotten a hold of his contacts in Chicago and was waiting for them with his phone in his hands. Everything seemed to be in order thus far. All they needed to do is get on a plane and do the rest.

"You better take care of my wife Edward," Jasper growled, squeezing her hand. "You, love, better come home to me in one piece."

"Yes sir," Alice grinned, squeezing back. "We better get going now if we plan on making it before ten."

"Of course…"

Jasper glared at his brother one last time before letting them go with a nod of his head. Edward and Alice would be running to Seattle instead of the normal form of transportation. This would be a bit more dangerous for any stray humans along their path should they lose control. At the same time, it would get them to where they needed to go much faster. After all, who needed a vehicle when your feet could take you there at two hundred miles per hour easy?

The night waned. In his sleep, young Harry turned on to his right side, unconscious to the happenings of his home or of more changes to come.


	8. Rule 6: Vamps and Wizards Can Bond

**Rule 6: Vamps and Wizards Can Bond...With Effort **

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose.

Five weeks, six days and eighteen hours with humans like Sirius Black were enough to drive any sane vampire worth their venom to kill. The human was proving to be loud, over-confident and though highly intelligent – extremely reckless.

According to what the vampire had read of the man's thoughts – the latter trait was something he'd had since he was a child. Looking further, Edward concluded that all Blacks would be prone to some sort of mental instability. He would have to talk to Carlisle and Alice in what the merits on convincing their new human acquaintance to see a psychiatrist. After all, the man would need to work out the anger and hatred out.

Edward thought back to the night they rescued the pair. Alice had printed him and her electronic tickets to fly to Boston from the internet (something that had only recently come into practice).

From there they met with Harvester – who true to her word got them port-keys to the places they asked for. In a span of seventy-two hours with a near mishap with the International Confederation of Wizards and Witches – they were in Seattle getting vehicles for another 48 hour trip to Chicago. By the time they came back Alice had made arrangements with Esme to clear up Edward's house and get clothes for the two fugitives.

"Microwave ovens..." Sirius' voice cut through Edward's thoughts even though he'd been watching the wizard for some time.

Presently, the pair was sitting in the study of Edward's rarely used home in Chicago. For the past few weeks, Sirius and Remus had been staying there while the rest of the Cullens (excluding Rosalie and Emmett) got them settled. Jasper was dealing with the "legal" side of things (forgery and all things unsavory). Alice and Esme were setting up properties for the pair to stay (mainly in Washington, Alaska, Maine and for reasons known to the pixie-like vampire British Columbia).

Carlisle was in and out of their lives working in the human hospitals while also poring through magical medical texts to get an idea of how to handle Remus' condition.

Remus (the slightly sanest of the pair) was currently out shopping for human food and probably some books. Before she had left, Alice showed Edward enough of a vision regarding the werewolf to make sure the man accepted money for books.

Said it would be important later but when the vampire investigated into his sister's thoughts…

'I'm going to have to find every Michael Bolton CD with Can I Touch You There and burn them.' Edward thought regardless of how pointless that task would be.

Even though Sirius was not doing anything stupid or reckless at the moment – he was still exasperating. His thoughts were a jumbled cacophony going back and forth the same things in a circle. At one moment Sirius would be thinking about Harry then the Cullens then America then plotting all the ways to hell on how to best torture Peter Pettigrew.

The quick changes in Sirius' thoughts gave him (and Alice) no sense of peace. He did his best to block it out unless he actually thought something useful.

For the seventeenth time in the past week they were going over Mundanes, Magic and Mayhem by Richard Stokes an American wizard Alice had Jasper buy for the two humans. It was a good book (seeing as Sirius actually read it religiously since getting it) but it was the questions the wizards asked that made him blanch. After nearly ninety years watching the progress of humans and their technology, there were still things he wasn't interested in. Such as microwave ovens or televisions.

"That's what a microwave oven does." Edward stated with a sigh looking at the brunette man in front of him. Said human was buried in the book before looking up with confusion.

"That seems complicated." Sirius commented. "So, a micro wave is really a radio wave which is like a form of energy that can be absorbed by water…fats…and sugar?"

Edward nodded patiently.

"Alright, then the radio wave at the right pressure can convert into heat?"

Again the vampire made an affirmative sound.

"That's fascinating. I wonder why we don't have this kind of thing in the magic world." Sirius muttered poring over the book even as Edward tapped his fingers on the table.

'If we could tinker with this machine, it could easily become more than just used for food or the like. Potions would become easier to do especially for those challenged in the "art" of slimy liquids. If only James was around. He would be up for experimenting on this.'

That thought came through loud and clear to the vampire. Edward admittedly didn't always like reading Sirius' thoughts but would agree this time. From what he understood of the magical world, making potions was an acquired skill and talents in that area hard to find. Anything to churn potions out quickly would be useful.

It was obvious that patience wasn't a virtue that Sirius had much of at the next turn of thought he had.

"I don't know when Sirius." Edward sighed.

The brunette blinked momentarily before giving a wary grin. "I think it capital that you can read minds and all but I would greatly appreciate some mental privacy."

The vampire shrugged. "It's harder to ignore your thoughts when you're right beside me."

Sirius sighed leaning back in his seat looking at the text book in his hands. He'd been thinking about his godson. Since getting rescued by the Cullens, he had been told they had been taking care of him since they found out about him with the Dursleys. Remus and himself had a negative reaction when they found that last part out. Having met Petunia (before she had married Dursley), it made him quite angry.

Then again, the night his best friend died, he had been in the area and only came minutes after the incident. His immediate reaction upon seeing the wreckage was to look for survivors. He'd found his grandson crying in his crib. Hagrid had come minutes afterwards. Distraught Sirius had been torn between revenge and grief. It was only when the half giant gently took Harry away that like a man lost at sea did Sirius think of the possible betrayers.

His thoughts had crossed Remus out within seconds of analyzing the situation. Leaving only one person. With Harry in safety – Sirius did what he thought was the only things left to do. Get Peter Pettigrew, come back to take care of Harry and prepare him for the Wizarding world.

At least that was the plan.

Blinking back the memories Sirius looked at Edward with a sad look. He was still grieving and the only way to get out of it was to do something useful.

"You'll be meeting him in a couple of weeks. We'll be celebrating his birthday as a family and introduce him to you. He's still a bit fragile. The Dursleys..." The vampire raised an eye. "No need for extreme measures Sirius. As long as Harry is safe, we do not need to do anything drastic."

"I still think that if they mistreated him anyway it gives justification to any "accidents" those people may get into." Sirius replied.

"I would agree with you." Edward agreed. "However we need them to keep the magic in their home up and to keep the Wizarding world, as a whole, thinking that Harry is with his relatives."

They sat there in silence for a few seconds. Sirius was still struggling with his thoughts while Edward sensed the presence of a person coming to the house. The thoughts coming from the person weren't altogether pleasant either.

'The Wizarding world be damned for how amusing it is.'

A slight twist of the key, a sharp close of the door and footsteps that treaded lightly on the wood floor gave Edward all the signals he needed to know that Jasper was back. By the sounds of it, the blond wasn't in a good mood at all.

'Edward, when Remus returns, I need to speak with you.' The blond vampire's thoughts paused as another person came to the door. Heavier footsteps, a jangle of keys and said werewolf had come home.

"Oh, hello Jasper." The soft baritone greeted.

"Remus," was the response back.

Sirius took this opportunity to leap out from his seat. Edward knew what he was going to say and couldn't help but wonder if he would have behaved in that way if he'd lived past his Spanish influenza.

"Moony! You're back," The brunette wizard stated running down the hall and then down the stairs. By then Remus and Jasper were finished their exchange of pleasantries. "Did you bring it?"

Remus looked confused at his best friend. "Bring what?"

Sirius was affronted. "The drinks! Firewhisky, Vodka, Sake – you know?"

"That stuff will kill more of your brain cells than you have now." Jasper commented. Edward sighed, why were men bent on self-destruction when they should just face the inevitable?

"It's only three in the afternoon Sirius. I just went to get some books that our friends recommended." Remus replied. "I did bring chocolate..."

The last part was said more due to the werewolf's knowledge that Sirius would be relentless when it came to not getting anything. It was probably a residual attitude from his childhood in a wealthy "pure-blood" home. He also got the distinct feeling (thanks to Jasper) that the two vampires needed to chat.

"Well mate," Sirius also feeling the shift in atmosphere. "We've got much to talk about. I just got this fantastic idea to do with microwaves. What do you say we go to the kitchen and I'll tell you all about there."

Remus was amused enough to go along with it. The pair gave Edward and Jasper nods before bonded over Remus' purchases and left for the kitchen, Edward stepped to his brother.

"Jasper, you wanted to speak with me?" Edward asked.

"Yes," the blond replied. "Read this."

Mentally Edward received, 'Afterwards, we should go hunting.'

The bronze haired vampire nodded and the sheet of paper this brother gave him. What he read made him feel slight fury and amusement over the incompetence of lawmakers. Then again, Edward had slight issues with authority figures.

* * *

_July 21, 1995 – The Salem Journal_

**BRITISH MINISTRY OF MAGIC UNDER FIRE**

by Eliaz Zophar

In recent weeks the international magical stage has been lit ablaze when it was revealed during the International Confederation of Wizards and Witches' WM7 summit meeting on July 1, 1995 that two of Britain's most dangerous fugitives have escaped the European prison of Azkaban.

No one really knows when or how they escaped but it's estimated they left Europe some time on June 14, 1995 by a witness for the International Confederation of Wizards and Witches. A massive investigation is taking place to pursue the matter. It is reported they may have stole their wands from the British Ministry of Magic before disappearing. Dark magic is rumored to have been used.

The escapees are named Remus Lupin and Sirius Black who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of wizard Peter Pettigrew and twelve mundanes late October 31, 1995. It is said that both Lupin and Black betrayed the Potters who are both said to have died by the "Dark Lord". It is said that their son, Harry James Potter is the only survivor of the incident and he was instantly sent to live with relatives somewhere in the United Kingdom. His exact whereabouts are not certain.

Since their escape, the British Ministry of Magic has attempted to keep this incident quiet to the magical global community including Britain and the surrounding countries. It was only due to the Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore, did this come to light.

To further add oil to the fire, it has been revealed that Lupin is a registered werewolf. There are speculations that dark magic was involved in their escape. More evidently Black comes associated with a pure-blood and dark magic supporting family.

The main question on everyone's mind is why this was hidden from the public for so long. In the mean time there has yet to be news of Black or Lupin being sighted. The Ministry of Magic will be holding a conference within this week to address these issues.

After all the escape from a prison guarded by dark creatures such as the dementors seems counter productive. These very same creatures served the British magical terrorist group, the Death Eaters and their leader.

Until the conference being held at the British Ministry of Magic's Speaker's Hall, all European citizens are cautioned to stay home especially during the full moon. Children are to be protected at all times and citizens are asked to keep themselves on the defensive as much as possible. Should citizens come across Lupin or Black, get to safety as quickly as possible and notify authorities.

Meanwhile, the world watches with bated breath to see what else Britain plans to do.

* * *

Edward snickered. "That's the best they can do?"

Jasper nodded unamused.

'As if wands and keeping your children in doors will keep you safe. This just makes it more difficult for us. Every person in the magical world will be on the look out for our friends. I'm slightly concerned what we're doing isn't enough despite my wife's enthusiasm.'

Edward gave an unnecessary sigh.

The two vampires stood there for some time until Jasper's phone rang. It was Alice judging by who was on the other line.

Without ceremony her voice came loud and clear for the pair.

"Get out of Chicago as soon as you can. There's a team of the FBI's magical equivalent on their way. They'll be there in about half an hour. Head over to Toronto then get a flight to Vancouver. If you must, stay the night somewhere there and hunt. You're going to need it. When you get here I'll meet you and bring you to the house."

"Wizarding world be damned indeed." Edward growled.

"You heard my wife." Jasper laughed wryly. "Time to get out of here."

"Would you like to tell them while I figure out how far our pursuers are exactly?" Edward asked his brother with a smirk. His brother scowled.

'Damn it Edward, I don't want to.'

"Unless you want to play rock, paper, scissors..."

'We don't have time, I'm going.'

Edward smirked and watched silently as his brother left. Before scoping the area the bronze haired vampire had to admit that at least, things weren't as boring as before. Alice was once again right. Things would always remain interesting around them and these magical folks.

At this rate it would be another year before Sirius or Remus would be able to meet Harry. He had a sinking feeling that's exactly what would happen.

* * *

**THOMN:** Many apologies from the author for the abhorrently late update. Thank you very much for the reviews and support! More Harry and Bella scenes coming up, so she promises.


	9. Rule 7: Have Fun No Matter What

**Rule 7: Have Fun No Matter What**

"Black, you are one of the most idiotic humans I have had the misfortune to meet." Jasper hissed and groaned at the overwhelming amount of emotions around him.

From Edward he felt agitation (no surprise there), Remus was definitely a whirl of emotions but mostly annoyance (no wonder) and from the black haired man to his left he personally could only feel a stab of irritation.

The egotistical, mangy, black-haired wizard felt triumphant.

It was midnight and the quartet had just escaped the clutches of gray robed wizards brandishing their wands like men with swords. It brought Jasper memories of his days during the Civil War.

"We are not doing that again Sirius." Edward muttered glaring at said wizard who just smirked and leaned his head against the wall taking in deep breaths.

They were huddled in a dirty alleyway in one of the busy streets of Toronto. It had taken skill in order to do so and a few moments of side along Apparition. That particular mode of transportation Jasper didn't even want to experience again. That close proximity to human blood and the pressure on his body was enough for him to kill.

From the side Edward muttered his agreement to Jasper's thoughts. They tensed listening for the sound of their pursuers.

"Right now, we need to figure out how to get away." Remus sighed resigned. "I really want to be alive and around for Harry's twentieth birthday at least."

"That was below the belt Mr. Moony." Sirius muttered. "So what if I took us through that strip club? It got us out of being chased long enough for us to escape. If I hadn't they would have started casting fire spells. How that tall bloke knew you were vampires I will never know."

Three pairs of eyes glared at him.

"Easily," Edward hissed. "You told him – idiot."

Then the two vampires stiffened. One look in their eyes told Remus all he needed. Grabbing hold of his best friend to the right who out of shock quickly grabbed hold of Jasper's arm, with a loud pop, they disappeared from the alleyway just as a pair of gray robed men came in with shots of red light.

"We missed them again Hennessey." One of the men exhaled heavily.

"I'm going to kill Smith and that bloody hag of his," his partner snapped. "Let's get to the embassy. The Canadians need to be warned."

With two soft pops, the pair disappeared with no one the wiser. The alley way was deserted and the night continued very much the way it began – uneventful, boring, mundane – normal.

* * *

Seven days, nine hours and four "light" swats across his head later – Sirius Black was nursing a migraine that wasn't going down despite the bag of frozen vegetables he was holding to the back of his head.

"Bloody hell," he cursed. "Three of you are vampires and one of you is a werewolf. I'm a normal wizard who is not exactly built with super powers."

Jasper snorted as he wrapped his arms around his wife who cuddled into his side. "Yes, this coming from a man who can shape shift into a monstrous looking shaggy thing."

Sirius muttered a few dirty words like "not shaggy, git" which earned him a good kick at his leg from beneath the table.

"Don't talk about my husband like that."

Remus bit back a wolfish smirk as his fellow Marauder bit back a few words of pain.

It had been a rough few days.

When Alice had called letting them know of the North American magical version of the FBI heading their way a few things happened.

One, Remus and Sirius were told of the situation. Noticing how serious and quickly the vampires began collecting the wizards' items they joined in. Alice then called again giving Edward a litany of things they could have missed. That alone took fifteen valuable minutes.

Two, as the wizards were shrinking their items and putting them into a couple of muggle backpacks, Jasper thought of a way to get rid of the house (therefore destroying as much evidence as possible) that pained Edward to no end. Alice then called letting them know that it would work.

Three, the group only had nine minutes and seven seconds left before their attackers got to them. By this time the house was covered in petrol. Not sure if it would work, Remus suggested they apparate before Jasper got a frantic call to "leave quickly". This began a snowball of events that could only be described as 'bloody exciting as a three headed Cerberus'.

The four males somehow managed to get away. They left behind them a complex and puzzling mystery that frustrated the American wizards to no end.

After a quick chase through Chicago, Detroit and Toronto, they managed to escape their pursuers. They had to backtrack a little bit and managed to snag a 1995 Mercedes Benz C220 in Whitby, Ontario.

The quartet quickly drove through the back roads with Remus casting disillusionment spells on the vehicle so that they weren't as easily detected.

Once they had some distance between their pursuers the vampires quickly went hunting somewhere in the forests of Ontario and Manitoba. It was around the third day on the run (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) that they got in touch with Alice who told them where to go next.

She made it clear to the four men she was unimpressed by what was going on. She told them that they wouldn't be able to step in the house if they didn't shower or get a few changes of clothes. She said quote, 'cleaning spells do not count because your magic only masks that terrible odor', end quote. She ordered them to shower and get new clothes much to the chagrin of the males.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as planned because just as they hit the Albertan border they were chased by wizards in red. Sirius then had the brilliant (yet stupid) idea of apparating from the moving Mercedes to the nearest city. The idea was great because it did throw off the red caped Canadians but stupid because wrecked a perfectly gorgeous car.

This landed the four males back in Saskatchewan. The group then got another luxury vehicle in the form of a 1995 Cadillac Seville SLS and they continued on their journey quickly without too many problems. They also managed to follow Alice's orders about the showering, etcetera.

Needless to say, by the end of their impromptu cross-continental road trip, they had arrived safely to the now remodeled home in Canada somewhere in British Columbia (close to water).

While the four males had gone through that – Alice had been busy doing some organizing of her own. She had sent Esme to go with Carlisle to stay and told the couple to be with Harry, Emmett and Rosalie.

Telling her mother that it would be safer for the Cullen family if they were off the North American continent for at least a year until they (meaning Jasper, Alice, Edward, and the magical humans) could figure out how to throw the magical authorities for the loop.

Alice also got a hold of Harvester (through Jasper midway Saskatchewan) to do some complex spells to hide their homes from prying eyes (or governments). Harvester was inclined to do so after receiving another ten thousand galleons making her rich for the rest of her life. She even quit her 'jobs' and said that from now on she would work exclusively for the Cullens only. She even signed a contract with Alice that was akin to a Wizard's Oath. The vampire was trying to convince her to move in as well. Harvester declined saying that she had ways of escaping detection.

Alice didn't question it then though she knew that would change soon enough (December).

As soon as the party of four arrived in British Columbia (just this morning in fact) Alice met them just as they were coming into Salmon Arm. She was pleased that they did shower and change. She clucked at Remus' choice of clothing and nodded at Sirius'. She didn't bother with her husband and Jasper because they were prone to wear nice clothes regardless. After her once-over she practically jumped her husband embarrassing yet delighting him simultaneously.

After pleasantries were exchanged they sped to their new home. It turned out that Harvester was a very powerful witch. She managed to cast multiple Fidelus charms on all the properties the Cullens had with Alice being the Secret Keeper. This provided everyone some security for the long term. The trouble would come from _how_ to keep their security.

Once in their new home, Alice quickly put Sirius to work enlarging the bedrooms they were to have. She also put Remus to work on a cave close to their Canadian home for those full moon nights. The vampires in the meantime played catch-up and were figuring out strategies to keep everyone safe. They corresponded with Carlisle (who was with Esme in Great Britain) on their conundrum. This took a few minutes before the Cullen patriarch passed the phone to Harry who scolded his siblings. Telling them he wanted to see them as soon as possible. Alice reassured him that they would definitely see each other before the end of August and again in December for the holiday celebrations.

It was evening by the time the wizards were done. They had missed the conversation with Carlisle and Harry much to Sirius' annoyance. But with a steaming supper on the table and a terrible headache he didn't complain. The vampires themselves watched in gross fascination as the humans ate – a lot.

'Still, it was an ingenious escape plan,' Sirius thought wincing as he tried to chew through his spaghetti. He still kept the bag of frozen vegetables on the bump that he felt for sure was growing on his head.

"Black, your intelligence nearly cost us our existence at least half a dozen times!" Edward growled as he leaned back against his seat. His topaz eyes glared at the black haired wizard.

"Yes, but in the end we got out alive!" Sirius muttered taking a gulp from his drink grimacing as he felt again pain from his head.

"Barely," Jasper scoffed then glowered at his wife who playfully swatted his stomach before kissing his cheek. "What did I say?"

"I just agreed with you." She giggled and snuggled once more to his side liking the feel of him. Around them two out of three pairs of eyes blatantly gave inward wretches at the couple's blatant display of affection. Thankfully, of course, these two were far from Emmett and Rosalie's caliber of well – nearly X-rated material show of 'lover' appreciation.

"Right, well, currently we're escaped convicts – who are actually innocent of crime by the way – who are still in danger of being found by Trackers." Sirius muttered. "How in Merlin's Beard did they find us?"

"How they found us doesn't really matter at the moment." Edward muttered. He quickly thought about what he remembered of a certain conversation the four males had regarding their pursuers.

* * *

"Bloody, Trackers!" Sirius growled as he leaned back in the backseat of the Mercedes with his eyes closed.

Remus gave a shout of disbelief. Edward clenched his teeth and Jasper just barely controlled his own irritation.

"Yes, Trackers," Sirius murmured before gasping in pain. "What in Hogwarts' name are you doing Moony?"

Three pairs of eyes looked at his direction incredulously as they sped away from Whitby, Ontario.

"Trackers," Remus mumbled. "Now it makes sense."

"Why were they following us?" Jasper asked shifting sullenly. He missed his wife so much and having her consistently happy and peaceful emotions would have been a balm to the near physical pain he was experiencing now. Edward shifted a sympathetic glance to his brother.

"It could be one of two reasons." Sirius replied rubbing his side. "They're the Wizarding equivalent to your muggles' law enforcement. I think I read somewhere the Americans have the FBI whose main mission is to protect the nation. Trackers are similar in that way but they protect the magical world. From what I remember of my Auror training, there are three tiers of their protective system. There are the Trackers to do general policing, surveillance and protective research. Then there are the Trackers who track down illegal immigrants, criminals and I suppose they are called – terrorists? Then there are the Trackers who are like the muggle military."

The three listened to his explanation as tension in the vehicle mounted.

"I take it because we brought you here from Europe they found out all about you?" Edward asked vehemently.

"In a manner of speaking," Sirius replied. "Every organized magical community in the world has some form of registering magical persons. It may sometimes take months for the correct levels of authority to realize when someone has illegally entered their country. It is easy for certain folks to escape undetected and stay that way for many years in our community. However because of the high-level profiles Remus and I have – we are perhaps seen as terrorists in the eyes of muggles and magical persons."

After a few seconds Remus chuckled drily. "Mr. Moony commends Mr. Padfoot for finally sounding intelligent."

"Shut up you old bugger."

"Not on your life."

"Hairless rug," Sirius replied darkly.

"Glad I'm not a mangy, flea-bitten, odorous mutt."

"Silence wolf-man."

"And that's supposed to offend me?"

The men chuckled after that while discussing the dangers associated with their pursuers in between.

* * *

"This definitely puts a dent on celebrating Harry's birthday." Alice growled. "We'll have to leave the continent and send those Trackers on a wild goose chase."

Edward who was reading her thoughts grinned. Sirius thought he never saw someone with such a young face have such a feral look on their face with the exception of James when he wanted to eat. Nevertheless, the spaghetti was getting cold and the black haired man had the distinct impression that he would be busy plotting in the next few days. He settled on eating as much as he could possible before getting some much needed sleep.

* * *

**THOMN:** The author smiled. Character development and reviews always made her day. Nevertheless, she felt this story was going to be a bit longer than even she anticipated. Ah well, good times!


	10. Rule 8: Things Happen Elsewhere

**Rule 8: ****Things Happen Elsewhere**

"Where are you?" Harry scowled on the phone. He didn't see the looks Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett shared. They found the little boy far too adorable for words. "I want to see all of you as soon as possible. I miss you!"

"We miss you too!" Alice giggled. "We're in the new house right now, wish you could see it squirt."

"Lissy – that name – so silly..." He heard someone(s) chuckle behind him and through the phone's reception the people with her.

"Oh Harry, don't take it personally. One day you'll grow taller than me."

"Lissy…"

The little boy grimaced and tried to ignore the creeping heat to his face. Deciding to change tactics he asked his sister when he'd be able to see the new house.

"Sorry Harry, you'll have to ask Carlisle. I know Edward, Jazz and I have things to do here that are really important for the family that might take a while. Right now is not a good time for you to come back yet."

Said blonde vampire on Harry's end received a pout.

"What kind of things? Why isn't it a good time now?"

"I'm sorry buddy, I can't quite say until I see you next. That or you could ask Carlisle…"

Said blonde vampire now received an intense stare. Everyone knew that look. It was Harry's way of saying he was "unto someone" and wouldn't rest until he got what he needed from that person. It didn't always cross his face and was only used when he was feeding his computer obsession. Esme hid her amused smirk as her husband attempted to keep a neutral expression on his face. Harry could sometimes be worse than an Inquisition.

"So when will I be able to see you?" Harry asked – knowing he should be thankful he had his other family members near him but considering…those three were his favorites.

Not that he would reveal that since Rosalie had a tendency to sulk when Alice trumped her in Harry's affections. He loved the blonde lady but sometimes – she was a bit – much? Basically she liked babying him when he wasn't really much of a baby. Esme he understood why she did it but Rosalie was really – quite _**over**_protective sometimes.

"We should be able to see you some time in August. We have a surprise for you."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Really."

There were a few seconds of silence before Harry turned his displeasure from his adoptive father to the phone. "Is it clothes?"

"Harry James Potter-Cullen, I am not that bad!"

"Alice," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "You are that bad."

"Fine, if you're going to be a cheeky rascal then I won't tell you what your surprise will be then." Alice said finally with amusement tinting her words.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"That's it, no more hanging out with Emmett or…Edward when we see you."

Said vampires guffawed with laughter. "Come on Alice, you're just jealous he likes me more than you."

Harry ignored the giggles of his pixie like sister when he heard someone smack Emmett's arm.

"Rose..." came a low (albeit manly) whine.

"Let Harry talk to the others in peace. As much as I loathe admitting they are manipulating his time…"

As his siblings – for the lack of a better word – "canoodled" in a corner Harry could only roll his eyes as he sat facing away from them and looking out the rainy weather outside the sitting room windows.

"So," Harry began. "When in August will I see you?"

"We should be there in the first week of August but no later than the second." Alice replied.

"Okay. Hey Alice, Carlisle and Esme said we're not moving to Nova Scotia either. I really liked that house. Is there any reason why?" Harry asked.

Alice answered truthfully. "After you left for England with Emmett and Rose, we found problems with the foundations of the house. We tried fixing it but the house caved in. We had to rebuild it. While we were doing that we found a few other houses we wanted to move into. So that's just one reason why everyone can't come back quite yet."

Harry bit his lip. "Okay. So when you come back will we celebrate the birthday you all missed?"

His sister giggled. "You better believe it squirt."

"Alice…"

"I just couldn't help myself."

Harry raised an eyebrow even though he knew his sister couldn't see it.

"So what have you been doing for the summer?"

"I figured out how to work the computer." was his bright reply. "Rosalie, Emmett and I have been working on it for the past few weeks even while I was with the Dursleys. Carlisle is also helping me figure out how to make sense of the programming books we have. He thinks they might just be a bit too hard for me to read."

Alice hissed. "I told them to keep you away from electronics…" Harry laughed at that. "I'm proud of you little brother."

"That's because he's a genius." Emmett called from the side. The little boy blushed and shook his head no. Even though he knew Alice couldn't 'see' him.

"Well now I know what to get you for Christmas." Alice murmured sadly. There was a short laugh that was cut short. Harry thought the laugh sounded like Edward but couldn't figure that out when his sister continued. "I want to tell you the truth Harry…we – that is Jasper, Edward and I – won't be staying in England after we come up. We have to deal with problems here for a while. We'll be around for Christmas but then we'll be gone again until your next birthday."

Harry let her words sink in, confused slightly but then understood the implications of it almost immediately.

"Seriously?"

Someone snorted on Alice's line but was overpowered by the pixie-like vampire. "I'm really sorry Harry."

The little boy pouted and stared into space. He hated the feeling of not having his full family together. It didn't feel right.

"I don't like it."

"I know. Love to everyone for me okay? We have to get going now. I promise we'll see you in August and Christmas."

"You better keep your promise."

"Have I ever not?"

Harry thought it over and murmured a negative.

"One way or another we'll be there. Promise me that you will at least go outside and do stuff. Maybe make some friends your age? Or maybe, write to the little girl you met that day in the park?"

"Lissy…I already wrote to her. I just haven't got anything back yet. I'm giving the phone back to Carlisle now. Love you."

The precocious young boy handed the phone back to his adoptive father who had been sitting beside him. Esme pulled Harry into a cool hug and smiled over his head. The two Cullen women knew he had been lonely without his other siblings. Rose watched as Harry rested his head in the crook of her adoptive mother's neck.

It was amazing how well they had kept things secret from the Volturi for so long. Everyone feared that it wouldn't be long before they did find out. Once they did – the Cullens couldn't even hope to be safe for very long.

What they were doing was dangerous and forbidden.

No one had forgotten the immortal children. If anyone from the Volturi saw them with a child, the group would become punishable by law. They would burn along with Harry. It was a compellingly ugly and disastrous thought. Even where they were in Great Britain they couldn't stay for too long. They would have to leave by mid-August for some place else. Carlisle was already making plans on where the family would go after that time.

Alice was saying to take a tour of Asia. She kept hinting that Harry needed to learn some sort of martial arts. According to her, it would get him out and interact with other people. It would help him build up his physical defenses so that he wouldn't be as weak as he was currently.

As Carlisle finished that particular conversation, the rest of his family was talking quietly over Harry's head. They hadn't realized how affected he was by not having all of them around. When Carlisle and Esme had joined them in the past week, he nearly clung to his adoptive mother every day.

He loved Emmett and Rosalie but having not seen his "parents" for what seemed too long made him want to be around them all the time. He even joined Carlisle in his study learning things about the human body – something that never really interested him before. Harry was only there just because his adoptive father was.

This led them (all seven of the Cullens) note how amazing their little boy was for his age.

It was almost disconcerting watching him develop his mental facilities. The boy was brilliant. He applied himself to learning like a fish to water. His natural curiosity about how things worked and his way of asking questions made him sound older than what he truly was. It was no coincidence that he was interested in electronics. When he still lived with the Dursleys, whenever Dudley got a new toy – Harry though envious was more curious as to what made those things work. He liked working with his hands and piecing things together.

The day Rosalie showed him the shop was the day he sat still for once. He was fascinated by the mechanics of things and was even more amazed by computers.

He thought they were incredible. The way people could use them to write on or play video games was really fun. He liked how you could listen to music on it and a great deal other things he hadn't known before. As much fun as it was learning about the world around him or on the off days playing sports with Emmett, Jasper or Edward. For all his maturity and growing wisdom, he did have his moments. Like now, for example, in his seeking comfort through Esme's embrace.

They all realized he was still a growing human boy.

This led Carlisle to make an interesting suggestion. "That went well. Harry, Alice mentioned you might be cheered up with a movie."

"What kind of movie?" Harry asked.

"I was thinking the Lion King."

The little boy's face exploded with glee.

"Excellent choice darling," Esme murmured. She smiled over the boy's head at her husband. They recalled a moment from last year around the first week the movie was out when the couple had taken Harry to the film. He'd lapped up the story with absolute joy.

"Thank you, love." Carlisle kissed the top of his wife's head and gently patted Harry's shoulder to get things prepared. Emmett and Rosalie looked at their parents then each other.

"Mom," Rosalie stated looking at Esme. "Do you mind if Emmett and I leave for a bit? We've been missing some us time."

Their mom laughed lightly and Harry wondered if bells were stuck in his mom's throat somewhere.

"Go ahead. Carlisle, Harry and I can hold the fort."

Emmett grinned wide and nodded to his little brother. "You behave yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Rosalie smacked her husband's arm making Harry giggle. He oddly loved watching his siblings fight like that since his sister always won.

"We'll be back in a bit."

"We'll be here."

The pair left saying their good-byes and "love yous" to Harry before taking off. It was relatively dark outside so they wouldn't catch unsuspecting innocents. They were due for some hunting and of course – the usual activity doting couples tended to do.

The night waxed on with an unconventional trio giggling and singing along to the melodies of a loved classic unaware of what laid ahead.

* * *

In another part of the country a red-headed young girl with smiling brown eyes looked up at her mother in expectation. It was bed time and as was Weasley custom – stories before going to sleep were the norm.

She lay impatiently in bed watching as her brothers (that is Percy, Ron and the twins) came in with their mum. Little Ginerva Weasley often wondered why they came into her room for these stories. After all, they all heard it at some point – how little Harry Potter saved the world from You-Know-Who, the darkest wizard of all time.

She heard Ron whine once that he only came to hear the stories in hopes that their mum would tell something new.

He particularly liked the stories from Beedle the Bard. His favorite story was the Tale of Tree Brothers.

Not that Ginny cared about those sorts of tales. Although she thought the Fountain of Fair Fortune was a really good story. Yet for all the stories in the world, she only liked one. It was Harry's story as the magical world knew it.

It was the story of an evil, dark wizard who wanted nothing more than to see the entire world collapse. Until one dark, Halloween night he crept into the Potter home in Godric's Hallow. That night when all the wicked things in the world could occur, the most horrifying thing of all did. He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named killed James and Lily Potter. No one knows why or how but perhaps it was because Fate took pity on him and tried to spare his life. As You-Know-Who raised his wand to kill him, a defenseless baby named Harry James Potter, someone answered a prayer for peace. That night of ghouls and villainy gave way to a cool and oddly relieving morning where the darkest wizard of them all was defeated.

"Mum," Ginerva whispered sleepily as she was tucked into the covers of her bed. "Harry's my age right?"

"I'm sorry little one. He's closer to Ron's age, my dearest."

"Oh…"

For a moment her mother looked at her child feeling this was the reason why she lived. To see the faces of her beautiful children before they rested into the land of sweet dreams. That peace on their faces filled her more than any of her worries (and there were many of those).

"Mum," Ginny whispered – eyes closed and snuggling a little closer to her covers. "I'll get to meet him one day."

Surprise twanged in her mother's voice. "Who will you meet dearest?"

"Harry…"

* * *

"…Potter." Bella looked at her letter and frowned. It wasn't the best response to the one he sent. Maybe it was too weird saying 'Dear Harry Potter' when he said 'Dear Bella'.

She chewed her bottom lip looking at the words she had written on the blank piece of paper her mom had given her. She knew it was late and she had to sleep soon. Her mom had told her lights out a while ago but since getting her letter – she wanted to make sure it was just right. She looked at the one her new friend had written her.

**'Dear Bella,**

**How are you? It's me Harry. I met you in the park. I hope you and your mom are okay two. Me, I am bored. I am in England with my family. It is really cold and boring here. The only cool thing was my computer. Please write back.**

**Your friend,**

**Harry Potter'**

For someone his age Bella thought Harry was decent with spelling. The only thing was his hand writing was really awful to read. She wondered if one day he'd do better. He even included a couple of pictures. One picture was of him by a computer and the other was with him pointing at a tower with a clock on it. Her mom had said that the tower was called "Big Ben".

The little girl sighed. Friends were so hard to make and keep. She didn't have many of them here in Arizona and even the little girls in her ballet class didn't really like her. She liked the books she read and staying at home.

She didn't have many friends with the exception of that little boy from Forks and his sister…sisters? She forgot already – but then again, they had only made mud pies and weren't allowed to go near the beach without older people.

Harry was different. He talked to her and was really friendly. She was glad he said that he would like to write to her.

Pursing her lips and concentrating on the paper – she began to write.

**'Dear Harry,**

**I am good thank you. England is really far from here. I'm sad that it's cold there. Phoenix is really hot. We have lots of cactoses – I don't think I spelled that right. I have never used a computer. My mom says that it's bad for my eyes. I don't mind. I like reading a lot. My favorite book right now is _Meet Danitra Brown_ by Nikki Grimes. Do you like to read? What is your favorite book?**

**Your friend,**

**Bella Swan'**

Satisfied, the little girl with long dark hair and eyes like melted chocolate put her pencil down. Her small mouth yawned and she couldn't help but feel sleepy. Tomorrow, in the morning, she would ask her mom to help her mail her letter.

* * *

In a darkened room, a little boy with silver blond hair looked outside. He had disappointed his father once again with his questions. He shivered beneath his bed sheets and did his best to keep quiet. Except… he didn't want to be alone.

"Dobby," He whispered.

"Young master?" a squeaky voice asked after a small pop.

"Tell me that story again."

"B-b-but young master, sir, Master Malfoy Sir said yous can't be up now."

"Dobby," He hissed imperiously. "Tell me the story as your master then I will go to sleep."

"Y-y-yes young master sir," the little boy didn't see the creature wring his hands worriedly. "O-o-once there was a b-b-bad wizard…"

* * *

A curtain of clouds hid a large moon from view to the unseeing eyes of one Hermione Jean Granger. For eight, she had many thoughts about the world around her.

She knew all about teeth (because her parents were dentists) and had a shelf full of junior encyclopedias. She wanted nothing more to do than know everything about the world. Maybe that's why she didn't have many friends because no one else shared her love for reading and knowing things.

Then again…today had been stranger than most.

She had gotten upset when a kid while on a trip to the zoo…he was a walrus of a boy nearly crushed her trying to see the lions. Without knowing what happened, the boy started gurgling out bubbles and his face started sprouting whiskers like a walrus. No one knew how that happened.

Her mom had, by that point, taken her away from the boy since he nearly trampled her making her cry.

Her mom did her best to comfort her but still…

Hermione knew that what had happened was bizarre. Inexplicably, a part of her young self knew that what had happened was her fault. She grimaced at the thought. If it was her fault then that would mean something was terribly wrong with her.

"Curious-er and curious-er…" Hermione whispered to the gray sky. Feeling sleep overtake her, she crawled into bed with a sigh. She didn't see the wind blow the clouds away revealing a smiling, silent silver orb. The secrets it knew never to be revealed.

* * *

He had forgotten how Uncle Algie would do anything to prove he was magical.

Maybe that's why when they went for that picnic he hadn't been prepared for his lunatic uncle's antics. If it weren't for one of his aunts and her house elf, he would have drowned. The fact his grandmother had a fit hadn't helped him either. Neither did the fact that the water had been far too cold. He was never going to see Blackpool Pier the same way again.

Thankfully he hadn't been harmed too badly. He just wished…

Burying his head into his pillows, the little boy tried to sleep. It was no use wishing all the time. Just like sometimes he wished his parents were in their right minds. Maybe…one day there'd be a cure for them.

He sighed and shuddered back his tears.

* * *

She sometimes wondered what it would be like to live in a "normal" home. Her mother loved to experiment while her father loved inventing or looking for animals that many thought to be just imagination. There was always something that blew up or something that worked.

Her mom told her that one day the spells she had succeeded in making would go to her.

She was glad about this and wondered if kids like the Weasleys had spells given to them. She wondered if anyone in that family made spells or found Crumple-Horned Snorckack horns. Her father had just found it a little while ago. Her mother had looked nervous when he had brought it in. Said it was dangerous and told him to make sure it was put in a safe spot where no one could touch it.

She sighed.

It didn't matter to her though in the end. She knew her family was odd by "normal" people standards. Either way, what mattered most was how much she loved her family. She knew that what they loved about the mysteries the world had wasn't received well by others.

Frankly, she thought those sorts of people were missing out. To live within a confined or limited view of the world seemed dull to her. The world was a magnificent place with so many inscrutable puzzles to solve and to uncover. Maybe that's why many kids, once they came in contact with her, teased her mercilessly.

Again she didn't mind too badly.

Her mom had once said that people were scared of the unknown and that because Luna was one of a kind – they were afraid. As long as she loved herself and let her love reach out to others, nothing anyone said or did could hurt too deeply.

She took those words to heart.

Her mother was brilliant and knew what she talked about especially if she had experienced it herself. Quietly Luna watched, dreamed and learned. Knowing that one day soon – she would find friends who would like her and her family regardless of how odd they were.

Not that she minded being lonely now.

She wasn't truly alone since she had her art and shared passion for the unknown that her family had. _Still_…she smiled softly as she drifted into sleep. _Friends would be nice_…

* * *

He was accustomed to being bullied by his siblings. They had that ability to get under his skin like no other. Tonight was no exception, even as his mum put him to bed with a kiss on his forehead.

Before going to bed, the twins had rigged his bedroom door to cascade water all over him when he opened it. Thankfully his mum had been there even as his mischievous brothers tried to hide from her sudden rage.

Ron sighed as he closed his eyes within the glare of the Chudley Cannons memorabilia he was slowly collecting around his room. He tried to recall his mum's story about Harry this night.

Like many boys his age with brothers who had qualities too much for words – he wondered what it would be like to just be seen as just Ron and not as the youngest boy. To be seen as someone with character and bravery like Bill or Charlie. Even Percy had something going for him in his books while the twins were known for their chaos. Ginny, his baby sister even had something going for her other than being the youngest. She was only a year younger than him but she was terrible when it came to revenge. Him, he only had chess and the Cannons.

He wondered if he would ever be able to do something great like his siblings. Be known for something greater than his siblings. Maybe even trump them in flying one day.

"Bet Harry Potter doesn't have dilemmas like mine. I bet he doesn't have to deal with cool brothers, prats like Percy, scary twin brothers or Ginny…" with that thought in mind, he fell to sleep snoring.

* * *

There are things in life that not even pixie-like vampires with visions of the future can see.

Fate weaves her web of with threads of life forming a circular pattern. Each decision made or not made creates worlds within worlds. Some threads stop but move to a different area of the web. Others continue and another picks up once one has finished.

Yet this one truth all nature truly knows.

All actions and inactions made have the ability to change the future. The present is yesterday's tomorrow and the past is there to tell us what we did wrong, what we did right and what we can do. The future is shaped by us all.

Life in itself isn't perfect, that is one universal truth.

Our make mistakes drive us to fall short of that unexplainable flawlessness we all desire. Yet by the grace of perhaps God or if one doesn't believe in such an amazing being – the grace of the future is what covers us in the end.

For what could these children have in common in the place of Fate's great tapestry?

* * *

**Thomn: **The author thanks you for your reviews. However she is desperately seeking a beta reader. She wonders if any are available.


	11. Rule 9: Always Keep In Touch

**Rule 9: Always Keep In Touch**

Time passes like the leaves turning on trees when autumn's chill comes blowing in from the North. In a perfect world James and Lily Potter would not have died.

Sirius would have continued being a dashing, charming gentleman wooing the hearts of all women. Mouldy-warts could have been a respectable wizard.

Dumbledore would have retired into a life filled with lemon sherbets and once every five to ten years published a book while meddling in politics. Remus would not be a werewolf.

Peter Pettigrew would be a mouse not a rat. The Cullens would continue living as if nothing ever affected them in their half-life.

Harry would never have had the unfortunate encounter of being raised by the Dursleys, etcetera, etcetera and so on.

Of course, reality often proves itself to be far more annoyingly complicated.

August came without much fanfare. The Cullens celebrated Harry's birthday (all of them) and the Boy-Who-Lived (With Vampires, Emmett would always joke) met his godfathers.

The meeting turned out to be a good one. Sirius and Remus struck a chord deep within the child. His fascination with computers soon gave way to fascination of his heritage.

Then again, who could blame the child? He was quite a precocious boy, intelligent beyond his age.

Sirius grumbled that if it weren't for Emmett and him (the pair got along remarkably well) – Harry would never have learned the finer things in life – like pranking.

After the joyous party, things had to change again. It became clear to everyone the major threats on the family's lives.

The Volturi and the Magical Governments lingered heavily overhead for anyone to truly relax. The meddling of Dumbledore also made things worse for the growing coven. They needed safety and they needed a way out. Edward knew that if any of the Volturi found out about their interaction with Harry – there would be too many consequences.

The Cullens, Harvester, Sirius and Remus were doing all they could to make things work well for Harry in the future using Alice's visions as guidelines.

During that time, a deep friendship became forged between Harry and his friend from Arizona, Bella. With the constant moving, she was his main source of comfort.

As time turned and things changed – Harry turned nine then ten and had a box Sirius had enlarged to keep all of Bella's letters.

Once in a while, he'd read over them and grin.

Thanks to his pen-pal he'd gotten so good at writing and reading that his guardians (excluding Alice) could only be thankful.

Harry's writing could have been more atrocious and gasp, illegible.

**0000000**

_**Dear Bella, **_

_**We're in Tokyo heading up to Sapporo to as Jasper puts it – train. I don't know what that means but I might not be able to write too often. We're going to be here for some time which is nice I guess. How's your mum holding up? Do you still like Arizona? If you could travel any where in the world, where would it be? **_

_**Your friend, Harry**_

_**P.S. That's me and my godfather Sirius pretending to go "zen". **_

_**P.P.S. Hope you like the gift – it's called a kimono. Women here wear them for special occasions. **_

**0000000**

_**Dear Harry, **_

_**Thank you for the kimono. I really like it! Mom went really crazy over it. She's made me ware it seventeen times in the past month since you've sent it. I think it helps her dressing me up so she doesn't think about getting fired again. Our elektrisity got turned off last week. I still like Arizona but it's getting colder. It is getting close to winter. If I could travel anywhere I'd go to Mexico. That's so neat. Your godfather looks nice. How's your family? How are your brothers and sisters? What does zen mean? **_

_**Your friend, Bella**_

_**P.S. Mom made me put this picture in too. **_

_**P.P.S. Hope you like your early Christmas present. **_

_**P.P.P.S. Write back!**_


	12. Rule 10: The World is tilted Part 1

Rule 10: The World is tilted, Make use of it Part 1

It was a sunny, cloudless day on June 20 when _**IT**_ happened.

This day marked the strongest change to the family unit of Potter, Cullen, and Black with the extension of that familial atmosphere to Harvester.

_**IT**_ was when Harry Potter returned to England with Carlisle, Esme and Harvester. The Cullen siblings had spread out to do some research and fortifying whatever houses they needed with Sirius and Remus.

_**IT**_ was the day that showed him how dangerous his world really was and the possible repercussions of his family's actions.

"Harvester you'll be fine with Harry while we're gone right?" Esme asked slightly fretful as she held her adoptive human son close to her. She did her best to smooth out the rumpled, messy hair of her son without much luck.

"Of course I will. You heard Alice. This kid and I will be fine while you two are off in Sweden." Harvester grinned.

"You promised you'd help me figure out how to work the computer in a magical setting." Harry reminded her.

"It will take some time but yes I did." The witch nodded with a grin.

Carlisle set the bags he'd packed up for himself and Esme by the front door before walking up to the two. "We're set. Call Alice as soon as possible if you happen to decide leaving the house any time soon."

"Yes dad, I don't think Lissy would like me if I manage to forget that." Harry replied with a solemn nod as he wrapped his arms around his adoptive father's waist. That left him slightly but not uncomfortably squished between his parents.

The two vampires were colder than ice to the touch. Yet Harry made it seem like they were warm even though he looked slightly chilled after the interaction. The boy thought of it as sitting on or with a statue or a bench. One's body heat warmed them up after a while and when you have blankets or some sort of sweater (which he tended to wear often), the cold didn't penetrate as much.

"You be a gentleman with Harvester and don't go making too much trouble." Esme whispered to her boy who nodded with a grin.

"I think I can do that mom, after you leave for the airport – Harvey and I will just read books." He replied.

The blonde American witch looked put out. The little boy hardly saw this – or if he did, he ignored it. He got another hug from his adoptive parents before watching from the window as they got into their classy BMW sedan drive away. Harry James Potter sighed. It was going to be a long week.

"Well now kiddo, let's hit those books and grab the laptop we've been working with." Harvester said after a few minutes which the boy did begrudgingly.

Since meeting his godfather and Uncle Moony – Harry had taken to sports and the outdoors. Emmett had been the most pleased of the Cullens with Jasper following suit. The trio never ceased to have fun with the boy playing the 'muggle' variety of sports and a year before on his 9th birthday after their trip to Asia – he'd been given his first broom – a Cleansweep.

Since then reading and computers (though they still interested the boy) were put on Harry's to-do list when he couldn't go out flying. For a boy of 10 he was quite advanced which made him uncomfortable whenever he met anyone his age.

Thankfully there was Bella.

"Harvey what does this rune mean?" Harry asked pointing to a rune that looked like an 'F' but the short lines were pointed downward.

The duo had taken shop at the kitchen table. Books and parts scattered in a chaotic order only they understood.

"Ansuz," Harvester replied after a few seconds looking at it while she figured out the pieces of the laptop in front of her. "That's actually going to be one of the key runes we'll be using to stabilize what I guess will be the equivalent of the hard drive."

"Huh?"

"Basically it will be a physical anchor of the spell we'll be using to make the hard drive work," Harvester replied looking over notes they'd been working on over the past few years. "We need to see if it will work with plastic though. Most runic magic works better on natural elements like wood. It works wonders on stone and certain metal ores are natural conduits for magic like this. Finding the right kind though will be a bit difficult."

Harry nodded then frowned. He looked at his computer and sighed. It would be so great to use it while in school so he could keep constantly chatting with his family, research using the internet and so many other things while at Hogwarts.

A couple months before they had had a large family meeting where everyone revealed bits and pieces of the magical world to Harry. He'd known about his parents, the reason for his staying once a month at the Dursleys and that his name was put on the roster to attend Hogwarts for ages.

To his dismay he also found out that nothing electric worked at the school – something to do with radio-waves and other things that the ten-year old hadn't quite grasped…yet.

Nevertheless After finding out that electricity didn't work at the school – he nearly said he didn't want to go until Sirius and Remus smirked at him. Well Sirius more than the latter. The seed was planted in his mind that there were ways to get around the magic if one knew how.

So with the help of the entire family they decided to put together a project for the boy to do while in school. Create a magical equivalent to a laptop computer.

This would take a while seeing as Harry wasn't quite a genius (though his IQ was definitely higher than most – something Sirius and Edward bantered about frequently).

After a few moments Harry looked up at the blonde.

"Harvey, I'm bored."

There was silence that stretched an ocean and the blonde witch took a glance at her ward. Blue met green as the duo contemplated the statement.

"Are you now?"

"Yep." Harry made the 'p' pop as an affirmative. He looked slightly sheepishly at the items mounded atop the table with a shrug. He really didn't feel like staying inside all day any more.

There was a pause and even as Harvester reached for the phone it rang.

"Take Harry out of there. The Aurors are coming, go to the library – someone will meet with you soon." Alice's voice chimed through before hanging up.


	13. Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

It is with great trepidation that I write this as I am uncertain how any of you will react.

For the past few months I haven't written anything for any of my stories and I feel like very sadly for leaving you all hanging. Stories ought to be told and this one has been in the back burner for a while. Instead of leading many of you waiting and wanting to know what happens next I figured I would write a summary of events or ideas I had in the process of writing this story but just don't have enough time or concrete thoughts in place to write it all. Please keep in mind these were all just ideas I had floating about that didn't have enough of a chance to be more concrete than they could have been. Perhaps someone would like to re-write RotG based off of these thoughts.

So here goes, prepare for the deluge.

**After the events of Rule 10: Part 1**

The Aurors are after Harvester as they got a tip by the Trackers that they had tracked her magical signature through three illegal port-keys. A lie – the Trackers got this information through Smith (a head honcho of the American equivalent of the Department of Mysteries) and his second in command an elderly hag who croaks out prophecies (more about this later).

No one in the magical world knows that Harry has been with the Cullens, Sirius, Remus and Harvester. Figgy hasn't been doing a good job keeping her eye on the lad believing in the story the Dursleys made up. Stating that Harry was so advanced they'd placed him in a private school.

Harvester doesn't make it in time to the library, only barely making it to Trafalgar Square with the boy. Knowing she doesn't have much time she instructs Harry to hide and when the coast was clear to go to the central library with her cell phone, wallet and wand. She tells Harry not to use the phone and to try to find a pay phone to call Carlisle or Jasper. Barely five minutes later – she is captured by the Aurors and taken in for questioning. Harry successfully hides somewhere around Trafalgar square within sight of her capture.

Alice is trying to keep her wits around her along with everyone in the family uncertain as to how things would play out – things are at a pressure point because there are far too many variables to control or look out for.

Harry reaches the library, alone and confused. He wants to call his family but fears if he uses Harvester's phone he'll be tracked down as well. He does what any normal boy would do in that situation – sit at the steps of the library – thinking glumly.

He is stunned by a meeting with a familiar bushy haired brunette with buck teeth. Hermione thinks it strange that no one notices the small boy all by himself. She drags her mom towards the sad looking boy and strikes up a conversation with him. Her mother is also wondering about the little boy and asks if there was anyone they could call. Harry remembers Harvester's words and nods immediately having committed Harvester's words to heart.

After that Alice gets a vision of who Harry would call and starts looking for contingency plans – the easiest way to get the Volturi off their case, no one finding out about their plans and etc. When Harry calls Carlisle – he is told he has to go to the Dursleys (much to his dismay) when Esme brings him there (as she's the closest one to pick him up).

From there the Cullens, Black, Lupin work to figure out a good solution on how to keep Harry safe from prying eyes. It is eventually decided that Harry must stay with the Dursleys for an undeterminable amount of time until things could get sorted. Harry is placed in Hermione's school (thanks to a vision from Alice) where the pair gets on together well.

Meanwhile – the family is breaking Harvester out of prison (all these jailbreaks!), finish the security protections on a couple of their safe houses, find a solution to any future Volturi problems that Alice forsees and prepare for an extravagant Christmas to make up for the insanity they went through since June 20.

Three hours before Christmas Day – the family is reunited (through a variety of events above) – there's an exciting Christmas celebration and all is happy for now. Gifts are exchanged between Harry and Hermione – a tearful good-bye between the two as Harry must live with the Corwins after the holidays, they become pen pals (all these girls Harry befriends, hmm).

Harry moves to the states to live with Sirius and Remus in Seattle. The Cullens having settled on being part of his life as much as they can without setting off the Aurors and Trackers. By this time Harvester has been rescue from the Aurors and strikes up a relationship with Sirius.

Until Harry's 10th birthday – there is peace and it isn't until June again that he is sent (read forced) back to live with the Dursleys. He must live with his despicable family members during the day as Figgy (finally doing her job) gets suspicious that Harry wasn't around a lot. So during the day he lives with the Dursleys, at night – he is magically whisked away by Harvester and Edward. This continues for a year until Harry's 11th birthday by which point he gets his letter.

Around this time, Harry and Hermione have become close as fiends as far as friendship goes. Harry and Bella are also getting along very well but have only seen each other once during the time between Harry's 10th and 11th birthdays (but only in the presence of Sirius and Harvester). Things seem to be going well until Harry's first year.

Things pretty much go according to Harry's book years with the exception he's friends with Neville, Ron and Hermione (creating the Gryffindor 4). Second year is much the same with the exception of Draco being the one to have gotten the journal back instead of Harry from a distraught Ginny and ended up being the chamber in place of the redhead who breaks down and cries to her siblings. Luna features heavily and I had a thought of pairing her up with Harry instead of Gin and that the young Weaselette would go with Draco instead.

During Harry's 4th year, he gets word from Bella that she was contacted by her father. Distraught and uncertain as to what to make of the situation – she is advised by Harry to go with her gut feeling. Harry and Luna try getting together (things don't work out and they decide to just remain friends). At the end of the year – instead of Diggory, Barty Crouch Jr. dies and Krum gets into a coma (read duels and battles of awesomeness).

By end of 5th year, Harry's a genius – invents finally the first ever wizarding equivalent of a computer with internet access with help from his vampiric family. He also starts realizing his feelings for a certain redheaded witch who is going through troubles with Draco. Luna encourages him of course. The prophecy is revealed, Dumbledore isn't so saintly and things get worse thanks to Umbridge. The Department of Mysteries situations still remain the same but instead of Sirius dying through the veil – it is Peter Pettigrew who tries to redeem himself (though really by this point he has gone suicidal and depressed) by blocking Bellatrix's spell of his old best friend at the battle.

Summer of 6th year – Bella goes looking for Harry (as per Alice's vision) thinking (after much communication with him of course) of living in Seattle to give her mother more time with Phil using the argument that Harry was like her brother and it wouldn't be weird for her to stay with them. She's a lot stronger, a lot firmer and has a bit more personality than in the books. She's not a damsel in distress which is a plus. There's a lot of interaction between Draco and the Gryffindors – but things get strained when he and Ginny break up. With remorse Draco is forced by his father to do what his father says and also begins to feel slightly attracted to Astoria. Yeah there was going to be a lot of melodrama in this year.

Summer through the end of 7th year – Harry goes on his grand Horcrux hunting adventure with the exception of Bella, Edward and his family coming along. War is upon them – and things are going crazy. Edward and Bella fall in love; there was an incident with the Volturi and more than just the wizarding world is at stake thanks to that particular incident. Charlie Swan is revealed to be a vamp mated to Tanya; there is a great big battle/war; emotions are tense and finally war is over but not quite.

Major Deaths: Dumbledore, Snape, George, Hannah, Colin, Lavendar, Bellatrix, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasely, Irina

Pairings: Harvester/Black; Fred/Hermione; Neville/Luna; Draco/Astoria; Ginny/Harry; Ron/Susan; Tonks/Lupin

Edward proposes to Bella – Harry and Ginny together – funerals, weddings and Bella bearing Renesmee…it's almost peaceful until the Volturi show up (damn it Aro) wanting to take advantage of this time while they can to conquer the seemingly indomitable Cullens. The Volturi almost win but do not thanks to Alice, Luna and Bella's efforts – Marcus kills Aro, Caius tries to kill Marcus but Marcus kills him out of self defense – the wives kill Marcus and the strength of the Volturi are no more.

James, Victoria, Laurent, the Wolves – do not have a big role in this because the scope of this whole thing was bigger. If I was so inclined to write a sequel – I would have used Renesmee finding Jake and the whole New Born drama instead for their story. Since there's no sequel – all this is lost to the annals of 'what could be' fanfiction.

I am so sorry for how long this was and how many plot holes my ideas would have left. I leave it up to you to fill in the blanks and to review.

I hope you all don't mind my unfortunately short run of this crossover fic. This was an ambitious project – one that required more out of me than I could provide. If you want to take over this story, tweak it up or whatever – just send me an e-mail and we can work out together from there.

Thanks for reading so long and many happy returns.

With sincerest apologies,

Dae


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